Berkley crews working to fix broken water mains amid warmer weather

Crews in Berkley fixing broken water mains

Taking the good with the bad, water main breaks can be caused by fluctuating temperatures and aging infrastructure. Work crews were out early Monday morning repairing a water main break on Tyler in Berkley.

BERKLEY, Mich. (FOX 2) - Much of southeast Michigan is getting a welcomed break from the harsh winter weather, with some parts of metro Detroit seeing temperatures in the 50s on Monday.

But unfortunately, the warmer weather often leads to water main breaks.

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Taking the good with the bad, water main breaks can be caused by fluctuating temperatures and aging infrastructure. Work crews were out early Monday morning repairing a water main break on Tyler in Berkley.

City officials informed residents through a social media post. Meanwhile, this main break marks the 20th of the season. 

"It’s definitely something to take note of. I’ve lived here for so many years and I haven’t heard of this happening so often, so it’s a little concerning that all of these are happening just this season," said resident Jane Wougamon.

"When we have these periods of temperature fluctuation — from freezing to a nice fall or spring day — that’s a prime recipe for a water main break. What that typically means is people will see a bunch of water coming out of the street, and our small but mighty DPW crew comes in as fast as possible and tries as hard as they can to fix the main without having to turn off the water to surrounding locations. But if the water has to be turned off, it’s hopefully for as short a time as possible, because we like to get in and out with as little impact to our community as possible," said City Director of Communications Caitlin Flora.

While FOX 2 was on scene, another water main break occurred on Tyler, making it the 21st water main break for Berkley this season.