kwch.com/news/kwch-news-kah-wichita-crews-cant-keep-up-with-water-main-breaks-20120807,0,4852673.story
by Melissa Scheffler & Kim Hynes
KWCH 12 Eyewitness News
5:12 PM CDT, August 7, 2012
(WICHITA, Kan.)
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Cell phone video shows what Susan Jones woke-up to Monday morning.
"My neighbor rang the doorbell about 7:30, he was outside. And, said, there's water coming up,” Jones said.
Water was bubbling to the surface from a pipe that had broken... several feet below.
"I called the city, had somebody come straight out. But they said there was a lot of problems like this,” Jones said.
Factfinder12 checked with the city of Wichita. Right now, it's working on 34 water main breaks and leaks. The city prioritizes which breaks get fixed first, based on how many customers it affects, if it's causing damage, and if it's impacting traffic.
Jones had to wait 24 hours.
“I felt bad because it's a waste of water, going out into the street and down to the sewer,” Jones said.
The city says it has had an increase in water main breaks thanks, in part, to hotter, drier weather over the last two summers. From June 1st to July 18th, Wichita had 83 breaks. Last year, 107. There were only 49 in 2010.
"The city did a great job and they were very nice,” Jones said.
Now, instead of bubbling water, sand and caution tape fill the corner of Jones' lawn. She says the city will be back in September to bring-in top soil and sod.
"I'm kind of that kind of person that needs things just so. But it will be fine,” Jones said.
We also asked the city about the cost of fixing a water main break. It says on average it takes three hours, and four to five employees, at a cost of 500 to 600 dollars.
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