Warmer Weather…We Want it, Cut Bank Needs It

City Superintendent Jim Suta in Cut Bank says he's hoping for warmer temperatures on Wednesday so that City crews can start digging to fix a leak in the cities water line at 4th Street and 5th Avenue.

The leak was discovered Sunday night after temperatures had thawed and then returned to sub-zero.     Suta said it was the third leak in the Cities main line since the beginning of January.     12 residential homes were being impacted with low water pressure.

He told us that approximately one-third of  Cut Bank's water lines have been replaced since 2000 and the new lines have had no leaks.    The problem with the old ones is that some were put in, in the 1940's at only four and a half feet below the surface.

New lines are placed below the frost line at 6-feet and they're also cushioned with sand.   Kind of  like, "wrapping them in a Blanket," which cushions the lines and prevents them from shifting in the bedrock.   Not only when temperatures fluctuate dramatically but when there's an earthquake.

That's right, Suta says anytime there's an earthquake anywhere in the state, it seems like three days later we have a leak.

He said they were able to pressure down and isolate the leak to just a small area and if all goes well they'll be able to start digging to repair the leak on Wednesday.

It was 27-below zero in Cut Bank this morning but that was nothing compared to the 42-below in Havre and 30-below in Shelby.  I'm hoping for warmer weather too, so listen in tomorrow (Wed.) morning from 5:30 to 10 am and find out if it really does warm up.