Extreme temperature change sparks new wave of problems

After a deep freeze hit SE Michigan, warmer temps are slowly making a comeback -- but the extreme change in air temp is causing some problems.

"Shifting of the soil because of temperature change that hat's really more distructive to the system than just cold weather," said Gary Brown, director of DWSD.

Brown says his crews are in place and ready to respond to trouble spots. He said they're going move employees who work on sewers, meters and general maintainance, and move them to water issues.

But water main breaks are not the only result of the recent polar vortex and now warmer temps. On Friday morning, a pipe burst at the Kresge Library on the campus of Oakland University, causing significant damage to the first and second floors. The building will remain closed for several days or longer as repair and cleanup work continues.

Wayne State University is also seeing problems after a sprinkler line burst in the engineering building as a result of the cold weather. Clean up efforts are underway and the building is expected to be open for classes on Monday.

And there was also an issue at Detroit's 36 District Court keeping it closed Thursday and Friday.

"Their fire line broke and it's caused the building to be closed down," Brown said.

As temps continue to fluctuate, Brown says keeping the thermostat at 67 degrees or higher can help avoid potential pipe bursting. But Brown says as the warming trend continues there could be more and more water main breaks and he's asking residents to have patience. 

"If you're out of water, that's going to be a priority for us," he said.

As the warm up continues its also important that residents clear their catch basins. If you leave them snow covered, your basement could see flooding