SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio SAWS customers are experiencing more waterline breaks with the high temperatures and historic drought, and crews are taking longer to get their service back up.
Anne Hayden, a SAWS spokesperson, said there were 700 mainline breaks in July and 650 in June throughout the service area.
“In July, we had a record high number of mainline breaks higher than any month we’ve ever had before in our history,” Hayden said.
The cause is the elastic or clay soil around the region. Crews are working during the coolest parts of the day and prioritizing jobs. But some customers may wait a little longer, Hayden said.
Brad Harrell, a master plumber, said his crews are also working more calls this year. He says residential and commercial customers can have problems with waterline breaks and sewer line breaks during the summer.
“Take a really hard look at your water bill because that’s going to be a big identifier for any leaks that you might have,” he said.