Water woes: More than 200 homes start week coping with main breaks

The water woes continued Monday for Calgarians impacted by recent water-main breaks.

As the city works to make repairs, more than 200 homes were still without service to start the week.

Frustration among impacted residents is growing, as some have now been without water for several days.

For the Azareses, getting water has become a family affair.

They've been forced to get water from a trailer provided by the city for the past three days after a water main broke down the street.

"Lot of dishes to wash. We can't cook properly. We can't take a bath properly. It's really hard," said Amelita Azares.

"We need to boil water from here so we can get a shower done."

Forty-five homes are impacted by that break, meaning dozens of people are making trips for water -- a task especially hard for those with mobility issues.

"My dad, he is old, too. He is walking back and forth with water and bucket," Virgili Simoni said.

The City of Calgary said Monday out of the five water-main breaks to happen last week, two have been fixed.

It says crews are working to repair the one affecting 165 homes in Eau Claire and another one in Montgomery.

But for the one in Killarney, crews are still trying to find the break.

The city says water-main breaks aren't unusual for this time of the year.

It says pipe material, age and soil conditions can all play a factor but the biggest issue recently is the temperature of the water.

"Our water sources are both surface water sources, so the Glenmore Reservoir and the Bow River, and so cold water makes it hard on the pipes. It just causes contraction of the material," said Chris Huston, manager of drinking water distribution.

The city typically aims to get service back online within 48 hours but says the extreme cold has made it tough for crews and has created equipment malfunctions.

"Hopefully, it comes back soon but I don't know exactly when," Simoni said.

"It's really hard, especially if you have kids. You need to provide a lot of water for them," Azares said.

The city is also telling Calgarians to keep an eye on their own pipes.

It says with the coming swing in temperatures, residential pipes are at increased risk of bursting.

It recommends people watch for frozen pipes and know where their water shut-off is located, just in case.