BexarMet battles water main leaks

Bexar Metropolitan Water District crews battled five water line leaks between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, according to a spokesman for the utility.

The largest of the five breaks occurred at 8 p.m. on the far Southeast Side, at U.S. 281 South and Rockport Road, said Mike Lopez, a BexarMet spokesman. Crews spent about four hours repairing the 12-inch line, he said.

At midnight, residents near the 9900 block of Sandy Field called the utility's emergency dispatch center to report water in the streets. Crews isolated the break and then waited on other utilities before they fixed the leak, Lopez said.

“We had to wait for other utilities to mark their spots,” he said. “We didn't want another gas main break.”

About 50 households in the area had no water or very low water pressure for about 3 hours while crews repaired the 6-inch line, Lopez said. Around 6:30 a.m., BexarMet had completed cleaning the site and was leaving the neighborhood, Lopez said.

Like other water utilities, Lopez said BexarMet experiences more leaks during dry weather, which is also when people use more water, he said.

“We've been extremely busy and our crews are well-extended,” he said.

Lopez said the utility works rapidly to repair leaks, especially while water restrictions are in place.

“We're asking all of the customers to conserve,” he sad. “The very least we can do is to get out there as quickly as we can.”