Students deal with water woes as hoses freeze
Having no water for days after outdoor hose freezes is ‘not an ideal situation’
Four University of Saskatchewan students say they were without water this weekend after an above-ground water piping system they’ve been relying on since the summer froze.
Emily Barteaux and three roommates rent a home on Egbert Avenue in Saskatoon’s Sutherland neighbourhood. The city started a water-main improvement project in the area in July and installed temporary above-ground lines to provide water to affected homes. Residents were told to keep their water running continuously in cold weather so the pipes would not freeze.
During the city’s first cold spell in October, someone in the house full of students forgot to leave the water running and the pipe froze. City crews cut the frozen line and installed a new one.
Last weekend, the pipe froze again, leaving the house without water. Barteaux said she doesn’t understand how this happened; she and her roommates had learned their lesson about keeping the water running last month and were vigilant about it. She even spent hours installing a heating tape alongside the pipe to lessen its likelihood of freezing, she said.
The City of Saskatoon provided the Saskatoon StarPhoenix with notes the city’s construction and design department compiled about its communication with Barteaux. The notes acknowledge it is “possible” the lines could have frozen even if water was running because temperatures were so low over the weekend.
Barteaux said the above-ground pipe froze on Friday and was not fixed until around 5 p.m. on Monday, leaving them without water for three days. They coped by asking neighbours for drinking water and driving to the university to use the showers there.
Barteaux said she called a city councillor to complain and her message was passed along to the city’s construction and design department. The city’s notes say a contractor “was recorded as responding within 30 to 50 minutes in most locations” after the complaint was received.
“It’s just not an ideal situation for us because we’re still doing exams, we’re still trying to get ready for finals,” Barteaux said.
The city’s notes say that “while there were times over the weekend where they were without water due to the cold weather and temporary lines, they were not without water for ‘three days.’ ”
Barteaux said she doesn’t understand this.
“We had no water. No water at all,” she said. “They (the city) weren’t in the house for three days without water.”
Barteaux said there have been no problems since the pipe was fixed on Monday, but she’s concerned there could be more issues if the outside lines aren’t replaced soon.
City staff say the water main could be up and running as early as this weekend, if tests of the water indicate it’s safe to drink. Barteaux said she sincerely hopes so; she had earlier been told that the watermain repairs would be complete by October.
“Yes, delays happen. But it’s November,” she said. “We’re just frustrated.”