Eagle River water main breaks due to frigid winter temperatures

Last week’s frigid temperatures were the culprit that caused a broken water main in Eagle River, but the good news was that no customers found themselves out of water.

Eagle River Light and Water (ERLW) and the city’s public works were out late Wednesday morning locating the cause and location of the break, which was discovered on Illinois Street, just west of Highway 45.

ERLW Utility Manager Mike Sanborn said the break was the effect of frigid temperatures causing the ground to freeze and expand, putting pressure on the main. He explained this is different than when a pipe inside of a house breaks from the cold, which occurs when the water inside the pipe freezes and expands outward.

“When colder temperatures hit, the ground expands, he said. “And the colder it gets, the more it expands.” Sanborn went on to explain that when extreme cold settles in, it actually pops and fractures, which can transmit into the ground and cause breakages.

“We see an average of three water mains breaks per year,” Sanborn said. The mild winters of 2023-2024 meant less breakage, with none occurring in 2023 and only one in 2024. There were three in 2025.

Water main breaks tend to happen in the winter months, which can mean pricey repairs for utility companies.

Sanborn said this particular break is in a cross section of water main, which was able to be turned off via three main valves, thus not affecting any paying customers. This is good news meaning the repair can be put off until the spring. Not having to dig into the street in the winter saves the utility money, because it’s not the materials that tend to be expensive when fixing these problems, it’s the labor. The task only becomes more time-intensive and laborious when battling frozen ground.

ERLW staff checked frost depths Jan. 19, recording it at about 43 inches deep. Since water mains are buried 6 to 7 feet deep (72-84 inches), Sanborn said that’s likely not the issue.

“The frost is not down deep enough to be freezing water — we’re not at that point yet,” he said, but noted with even colder temperatures on Friday — when actual temps fell to -25 and wind chills made it feel closer to -50 degrees — the frost would drive much deeper.
“We’re just keeping our fingers crossed,” he said.