Normally, Houston has about 200 breaks, a day, in the water pipes around the city. This year, with the drought, they're experiencing around 700 breaks a day.
Now, you're going to say that can't be right. They couldn't possibly have that many breaks a day. Houston is a huge city, covering more than 800 square miles. No. that's not a mistake either. That means Houston has a total of 7000 miles of water pipes.
Anyway, we know that freezing causes pipes to break up here but, SURPRISE! Hot weather causes pipes to break too. The extreme heat causes increased water usage which builds extra pressure inside the pipes. The dry soil shrinks away from the pipes allowing them to break.
You learn something new every day!
Now, you're going to say that can't be right. They couldn't possibly have that many breaks a day. Houston is a huge city, covering more than 800 square miles. No. that's not a mistake either. That means Houston has a total of 7000 miles of water pipes.
Anyway, we know that freezing causes pipes to break up here but, SURPRISE! Hot weather causes pipes to break too. The extreme heat causes increased water usage which builds extra pressure inside the pipes. The dry soil shrinks away from the pipes allowing them to break.
You learn something new every day!
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