Yellowknife (Jan 14/05) - The damage done by an extended cold snap before Christmas has city public works staff scrambling to repair several broken water pipes throughout the city.

An "open ditch" sign warns snowmobilers and passers-by not to walk on a flooded ditch on Deh Cho Boulevard.

Superintendent Dennis Althouse said staff are still searching for one leak that caused water to back up in a ditch along Deh Cho Boulevard, causing a potential hazard for anyone trying to cross it on their snowmobile.

Two other underground leaks leading from homes on Finlayson Drive and Hordal Road have been identified. The owners will have to pay a $500 deductible to the city for repair work.

"As water freezes it expands by 10 per cent," said Althouse.

"So you can imagine how much mechanical pressure is in the ground when the water freezes and it starts moving the pipes and the stuff around it."

A backhoe crew was still digging out jammed-up ice from a ditch between Deh Cho Boulevard and Bagon Drive weeks after the leaks were detected before Christmas. Temporary barriers were put up around the ditch last week to keep snowmobilers from crossing it. The ice is still thin in some areas because of the moving water.

"Snowmobilers were going across the slush," said Althouse. "We don't need someone putting a snowmobile through the ice."

Expensive proposition

Public Works director Greg Kehoe said they may be faced with the expensive proposition of digging up water lines in the coldest part of winter if the problem continues. Another serious leak has been detected at the Yellowknife courthouse, although the city still isn't exactly sure where it originated.

Kehoe said staff at the courthouse are having to pump out the basement to keep it from flooding.

"We try not to dig in the wintertime unless we have to," said Kehoe.

"It seems like every year there's a couple, but we're always hopeful it can wait until summer, but if we can't, we'll dig in the winter."

Kehoe couldn't say how much it has cost to repair the leaks up to this point, but said the price tag could be a lot more if the city doesn't pay attention to them now.

Serious flooding

He said if leaking pipes are left until summer, a full-fledged water main break could occur, leading to serious flooding of any homes or buildings in its path.

"Right now we don't think we're dealing with that, but it definitely warrants attention," said Kehoe.