KETTERING -- We've seen several water main breaks since the temperatures dropped below freezing.
In Kettering on Wilmington Pike, there's been two breaks just 40 feet from one another in less than 24 hours.
"There's quite a few businesses around here that depend on water," said Gerrie Cochran, Owner of Cochran's Canines.
Cochran has owned her business along Wilmington Pike for 30 years.
And with the recent water main breaks, she's worried the cost to fit is will fall on her.
"Which will then affect price right now the line because of course if we're paying more, it gets past onto the consumer, in some way," she said.
So we went to the people in charge of handling those water mains, and paying for fixing them.
Officials with Montgomery County Environmental Services tell us the breaks don't cost you anything extra.
"They pay a quarterly fee for their water service and that actually covers all of the expenses for water line maintenance and repair," said Brianna Wooten, Department of Environmental Services.
If you're worried about all that water spilling on the road, you're not responsible for that either.
"It's just part of the cost or the loss that we absorb as an operation," said Wooten.
So why is this happening so much?
We discovered most of the pipes causing the problems are around 50 years old.
The department is replacing the worst of them with a cement lined steel woven pipe.
"It has a life span of approximately 80 to 100 years, compared to the 50 year lifespan of the cast iron pipes that are currently in the ground," said Wooten.
While it takes years to replace old pipes, Cochran was relieved crews rushed to fix Wednesday's break.
"I was happy to see they were out there cleaning it up and got it repaired fast this morning," said Cochran.
We also asked if the problem on Wilmington Pike would mean it would be replaced. County leaders told us it's not on their list at this time.
They also told us they're not looking to increase water rates at this time to help cover the cost of the water main breaks. And they haven't increased rates in three years.
In Kettering on Wilmington Pike, there's been two breaks just 40 feet from one another in less than 24 hours.
"There's quite a few businesses around here that depend on water," said Gerrie Cochran, Owner of Cochran's Canines.
Cochran has owned her business along Wilmington Pike for 30 years.
And with the recent water main breaks, she's worried the cost to fit is will fall on her.
"Which will then affect price right now the line because of course if we're paying more, it gets past onto the consumer, in some way," she said.
So we went to the people in charge of handling those water mains, and paying for fixing them.
Officials with Montgomery County Environmental Services tell us the breaks don't cost you anything extra.
"They pay a quarterly fee for their water service and that actually covers all of the expenses for water line maintenance and repair," said Brianna Wooten, Department of Environmental Services.
If you're worried about all that water spilling on the road, you're not responsible for that either.
"It's just part of the cost or the loss that we absorb as an operation," said Wooten.
So why is this happening so much?
We discovered most of the pipes causing the problems are around 50 years old.
The department is replacing the worst of them with a cement lined steel woven pipe.
"It has a life span of approximately 80 to 100 years, compared to the 50 year lifespan of the cast iron pipes that are currently in the ground," said Wooten.
While it takes years to replace old pipes, Cochran was relieved crews rushed to fix Wednesday's break.
"I was happy to see they were out there cleaning it up and got it repaired fast this morning," said Cochran.
We also asked if the problem on Wilmington Pike would mean it would be replaced. County leaders told us it's not on their list at this time.
They also told us they're not looking to increase water rates at this time to help cover the cost of the water main breaks. And they haven't increased rates in three years.
