SAND SPRINGS, Okla. — Ice-covered equipment in Sand Springs. Water gushed from an 8-inch water line break. Also, the crews worked in frigid temperatures to fix it.
Thankfully, the water is back on for people in Sand Springs, but as the weather warms up, crews are preparing for the possibility of more breaks.
The sign on the door was up for about 3 hours at the Anytime Fitness in Sand Springs.
“We saw the crew outside working and the water bubbling up, and then we had no water,” said Susan Bennett.
Anytime Fitness Manager Susan Bennett said that when the water shut off on Feb. 20, they pivoted right away.
“We sent our maintenance guy over to get some water bottles for the members that didn’t have anything,” said Bennett. “We just like to provide for them.”
It was an icy situation for the Sand Springs crews.
“If it was 20 degrees, that’s not a big deal, but when it’s in the teens or below, it’s just miserable,” said Mike Wood.
Assistant Public Works Director Mike Wood says fixing the 8-inch line near 113th Avenue and 38th Street didn’t actually take that long but identifying it and turning the water off did take some time.
He says these conditions present some challenges.
“Water and cold don’t mix,” said Wood. “So, when it’s a situation like this it just makes it tougher on the equipment, the people, trying to get the water out of the ditch and all that.”
Sand Springs wasn’t the only area with a water line beak. Near 15th and Harvard, water was flowing down the neighborhood street in Tulsa.
At its peak, 12 neighbors didn’t’ have water as crews worked to fix the 12-inch line.
As the temperatures climb into the weekend and next week, crews are prepared for the potential of more breaks.
“You don’t know what’s going on below the ground but once it starts to thaw out and the ground starts to move a little bit then there’s the potential for major leaks anywhere you just never know,” said Wood.
Bennett at Anytime Fitness says she’s grateful they fixed the break before the afternoon rush.
“We have a lot of people shower,” said Bennett. “The guys use it for cleaning. So, we’re just glad to have it back.”
To check out water line breaks in Tulsa, click here.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- SUBSCRIBE on YouTube
