CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Corpus Christi Water crews are seeing up to 25 waterline breaks a day because of drought conditions. It is a situation other cities around the state find themselves in as well.
The 3600 block of Crestbrook is just the latest water line break that crews are having to deal with, and what's turning out to be a very busy summer.
"The cement pipe tends to break more because it doesn't bend with the soil conditions out here," said Wesley Nebgen, Assistant Director Utilities. "When it gets hot and dry like this the ground starts to shift and it starts to flex that pipe and it won't flex."
This year's drought are busting water lines left and right on a daily basis at a far greater rate than in 2021.
"Now we are going from two or three waterline breaks a day to over 20 and that not only puts a strain on our manpower we are in competition with these other cities for material," said Mike Murphy, Chief Operations Officer for Corpus Christi Water.
Cities like Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio are said to be experiencing hundreds of these breaks each day. That's making it tougher for Corpus Christi to get its hands on replacement pipe.
"We are in competition with vendors for that pipe and everybody is out trying to get it," Murphy said.
More from 3News on KIIITV.com:
- 'This is inexcusable': Reward increases for information related to endangered green sea turtle killed with a spear gun
- 'Texas children are suffering': Calallen ISD board asks TEA to prioritize mental health over standardized testing
- Starting Monday, violating Corpus Christi's water restrictions can land you a $500 fine
- TxDOT suspends part of developer's work on new Harbor Bridge
Want to send us a news tip?
Put your name and contact information below so we can get in touch with you about your story should we have questions or need more information. We realize some stories are sensitive in nature. Let us know if you'd like to remain anonymous.
If you do not have a photo/video to submit, just click "OK" to skip that prompt.