Virginia Beach, Va. (WTKR) - A huge drop in temperatures have kept Virginia Beach Public Utilities crews busy this week.
"They are rigid pipes. They are ductile iron. They are very durable, but they do go under a lot of stress as the soil and that water temperature change and they can break with these severe swings in temperature," explained Water Operations Manager Jim Cherry.
On Tuesday, Cherry took NewsChannel 3's Todd Corillo inside the Virginia Beach Public Utilities Control Center.
"It's manned 24 hours, 7 days a week. These operators will monitor the condition of the water system," Cherry explained. "Whether pipe lines have pressure in them. Whether pumps are running like they are supposed to and then if there are any alarms they can dispatch crews 24 hours, 7 days a week."
As of Tuesday afternoon, crews had been dispatched to repair two water main breaks, including one near Magic Hollow Boulevard.
Cherry admits more could break this week with additional swings in the temperature.
"We'll probably have a steady amount of small water main breaks - the 6 and the 8 inches," Cherry said.
Extra crews have been put on stand-by in Virginia Beach to deal with any potential problems that may arise.
