How many water mains break each winter?

WSSC Water main breaks and leaks reached 644 in January 2025, part of 1,496 from November to February and 2,259 across FY25.

By the Your Water Numbers desk, not WSSC Water · Updated November 2, 2026 · How we check

Reading this: Every count here lumps breaks and leaks together. Costs come in round millions, so the per-break figures are rough.

Which month breaks the most mains?

January, by a wide margin. It took 644 of the 1,496 winter breaks and leaks in 2024-25, or 43%, our arithmetic.

December came next at 448. November and February tied at 202 each. Nearly three in four fell in those two middle months: 1,092, or 73%, our arithmetic.

Why do breaks follow the cold?

River temperature is the signal to watch. The Potomac fell about 17 degrees, 49 to 32, between Nov 26 and Dec 15, 2025, and 293 breaks and leaks followed from Nov 26.

Breaks usually rise a few days after a new river low. So trouble on your street can arrive after the river has already hit bottom. Older pipe is part of the picture too: see how old the mains are.

Are the yearly counts climbing?

Three years is all we can show, from the utility’s pages on aging pipe and its winter release, and each was higher than the last. FY25 ran 693 above FY23, a rise of 44%, our arithmetic.

That is not proof of a trend. In FY25, November to February made up 66% of the year, our arithmetic, against about 63% in a typical one. An older utility FAQ puts the typical winter at 1,200 rather than 1,127.

What does the repair bill look like?

The bill went from $17 million in FY23 to $33 million in FY25. That is nearly double in two years, on a count that grew 44%, so the average repair cost more as well.

The main is the utility’s pipe, so the repair is not yours to arrange. You meet pipe costs elsewhere on the bill, through the Infrastructure Investment Fee.

What should you do when one breaks on your street?

Report it on the emergency number printed on your bill. That number is also on the utility’s site. Then stay clear and let the crew work.

Any valve in the street is the utility’s. If water is getting into your house from your own pipe, the valve you may use is the house valve inside.

Do not guess about drinking water. Follow the notice WSSC Water issues, and if it is a boil-water advisory, use these steps.

What happened in January 2026?

The request reached every customer. Frigid-weather breaks led to an essential-use-only request to all customers, with 33 breaks and leaks open when it was issued. By Jan 26, the count since Nov 1 stood at 906.

Questions on this page

Where each number comes from