Tucson Recovering From Freeze, Burst Pipes Of Its Own; Plumbers Say Plumbing Code Ill-Suited For Freeze

El Paso wasn’t the only southwestern city to suffer major plumbing and water problems as a result of a cold snap earlier this month.

According to the Arizona Daily Star, Tucson’s water demand during its four-day stretch of freezing temperatures went from 76 million gallons on Wednesday to 111 million gallons on Thursday, as leaks erupted in water pipes and other facilities. Water workers counted at least 300 instances of damage to their own facilities, from reservoirs and booster pumps, to pipes and equipment, and had to shut down service to 3,000 customers.

And it could absolutely happen again.

“What this really comes down to is, Arizona wasn’t ever prepared for anything like this,” said Bryan Foerster, owner of Economy Plumbing Service, who said his phone started ringing at 3 a.m. that first day. He got so many calls, the battery to his cell phone surrendered altogether, and he could barely check messages with the volume coming in.

Building officials readily acknowledge the plumbing codes are not adequate to prevent wide-scale problems in deep freezes like one we just experienced.

Read the full article here.