HOUSTON – Water main breaks are a big reason that the city of Houston had to issue mandatory water restrictions, the mayor said Tuesday.
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"The problem is the areas all around us are in a severe drought condition and it just so happens, we have ample supplies of water, but we're losing the water through water main breaks. Normally, in a summer, we have 200 water main breaks a day over our 7,000 miles of pipes. Right now, we're over 700 a day and we're having a difficult time maintaining water pressure," Houston Mayor Annise Parker said.
In southwest Houston, a water main has been broken since Monday, spewing water into the streets in the 2300 block of North Boulevard and Greenbriar Street.
Crews were fixed the leak on Tuesday.
City officials said last week they get 60 to 80 new reports a day and repair about 70 per day. Officials said the repairs are being made as quickly as possible.
Sixty percent of the average homeowner's water usage is landscaping. Seventy-five percent of indoor water use is in the bathroom.