Overview of Recent
Water Main Breaks
From January 1 through January 31, 2026, WSSC crews
responded to an alarming 360 water main breaks and leaks. The high volume of
active issues, with approximately 48 new reports on January 31 alone,
ultimately prompted the utility to issue an "Essential-Water-Use-Only"
request to customers. This action was a direct response to the overwhelming
number of simultaneous breaks and leaks, which strained repair resources.
Beyond Weather: The
Role of Aging Infrastructure
Although extreme weather conditions can trigger a spike in
water main breaks, the underlying challenge for WSSC Water is rooted in the
aging infrastructure and a replacement rate that is not keeping pace with the
system’s needs. More than 40% of WSSC's 5,977 miles of water mains are over 50
years old. Many of these pipes are made from brittle cast iron or are unlined,
and were installed between 1916 and 1976. As a result, a significant portion of
the system has reached or surpassed its intended design life.
Replacement Rate
Lagging Behind System Age
The planned pipe replacement rate for the WSSC system is 33
miles per year. For a network totaling 5,977 miles, this pace would result in a
complete system replacement every 181 years. However, since 2018, WSSC has
replaced only 22 to 25 miles of pipe annually, extending the replacement cycle
to more than 200 years. No set of water mains is designed to last such an
extended period. Consequently, as the infrastructure continues to age faster
than it is being replaced, WSSC faces an inevitable increase in pipe failures.
Comparison with
Fairfax Water’s Response and System Age
For context, consider Fairfax Water’s experience during the
same period. Following Winter Storm Fern in late January 2026, Fairfax Water
also reported a significant number of water main breaks throughout Northern
Virginia. However, while WSSC Water reported more than 360 breaks and leaks and
implemented an essential-use-only mandate, Fairfax Water managed the situation
without issuing a similar broad conservation request.
On January 31, 2026, the Fairfax Water dashboard reported 8
active leaks being addressed and a total of 125 repairs completed during the
preceding 30 days.
System Size and
Performance Comparison
Fairfax Water maintains approximately 4,027 miles of water
mains compared to WSSC’s 5,977 miles. Despite having about 67% of the miles of
pipe and experiencing the same weather conditions, Fairfax Water’s number of
breaks in January 2026 was only 36% of WSSC’s total. This disparity highlights
differences in infrastructure age and maintenance effectiveness between the two
utilities.
Relative
Infrastructure Age
Fairfax Water’s distribution system is considerably younger
than those of WSSC and DC Water. The median age of Fairfax’s water mains is 40
years, and approximately 56% of the mains have been in service for 30 years or
less. In contrast, WSSC’s water mains have a median age of 53 years,
underscoring the larger proportion of older, more failure-prone pipes in WSSC’s
system.
No comments:
Post a Comment