Milw. handles record number of water main breaks in Feb. 2014

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Public works crews with the City of Milwaukee have handled a record number of water main breaks for a single month.

As of Thursday, February 27th, crews had been dispatched to 226 water main breaks -- and still counting. The previous record was set in February 1977 when crews dealt with 224 breaks.

According to numbers from the DPW, in December and January, crews fixed more than 300 broken pipes.

There have been so many issues this winter, the city is using contractors to help with the work.

It is still unclear how much this may cost. The DPW says they haven’t even started counting the bills — but the city could be thousands or more over-budget.