Frozen pipes cause damage, closings across Central Kentucky
Across Lexington and the state, frozen and broken water pipes have been causing headaches for those hoping to stay inside to avoid the frigid weather.
Friday through Sunday, the Lexington Fire Department responded to 220 water shut offs and 175 private alarms, Major Jessica Bowman said. Nearly all of the water shut offs were caused by burst pipes and many of the private alarms were caused by burst sprinkler system pipes.
Pipes froze after temperatures quickly fell into Arctic ranges for the holiday weekend. Temperatures began warming some Monday and on Tuesday should creep above freezing for the first time in days, a forecast from the National Weather Service showed. More relief will come Wednesday as the daytime high is expected to be around 46 degrees and conditions should be dry.
“This particular storm has been a little bit different than normal because the freeze occurred so quickly that a lot of buildings, their pipes have not had a chance to adjust to the sudden temperature change,” Major CJ Haunz told WKYT. “Well now, those pipes are starting to thaw out a little bit, and so we have had a lot of situations where the pipes are busting.”
Damage from frozen pipes affected local businesses, services and some travel.
A water main break in downtown Lexington was affecting travel on Vine, Water and Rose streets, the city reported in a snow and ice update on its website Tuesday morning. The area should be avoided if possible.
The Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center was closed Tuesday after an irrigation line linked to the sprinkler system broke and caused flooding, the city’s update said.
On Sunday, a water pipe burst inside the Lexington Humane Society “causing a flood of water in our dog kennels,” the animal shelter posted on Facebook, noting that it was closed on Monday. No animals were harmed in the waterline break.
“But with limited water sources, cleaning almost 100 dog kennels by hand will be a long, hard task,” the Lexington Humane Society wrote. “Closing will allow us the time to prioritize animal care, schedule necessary repairs, and deal with the challenges of the day.”
Also on Sunday, a portion of the ceiling collapsed at the Ridgeway Nursing & Rehabilitation Facility in Bath County, WKYT reported. The collapse was caused by a water leak and no residents had to be relocated.
A bust pipe damaged part of the Madison County Hall of Justice in Richmond and potentially jeopardized decades worth of court documents, LEX18 reported.
On the University of Kentucky campus, over two dozen buildings and facilities were impacted by the weather in some way, “ranging from burst pipes to power outages that caused equipment failures,” university spokesperson Jay Blanton said in a statement.
“Dozens of members of our facilities staff, health care teams and others have worked around the clock, starting last Friday, to assess damages, start claims and initiate repairs,” Blanton said. “We have prioritized health care facilities to ensure that patient care spaces were not impacted.”
The university will continue to work make sure that campus is ready to re-open on Jan. 3 and will be ready for the first day of classes on Jan. 9, Blanton said.
This story may be updated.
This story was originally published December 27, 2022 at 8:14 AM.