The outdoor water displays at the main entrance to the Tulalip Resort Casino were heavily encrusted in ice early Thursday as temperatures began the day well below freezing. (Dan Bates / The Herald)

The outdoor water displays at the main entrance to the Tulalip Resort Casino were heavily encrusted in ice early Thursday as temperatures began the day well below freezing. (Dan Bates / The Herald)

It’s cold: Water pipes break and people fall through ice

Fifth Everett water main breaks

EVERETT — The cold snap has caused a ruckus.

Aging water pipes have broken in Everett. Energy demand is up countywide. And three boys were rescued this week after falling through ice-covered lakes.

Average temperatures have hovered below freezing for the past four days. The weekend offers hope for relief.

Temperatures are forecast to stay in the low to mid 20s in Everett on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

Adding in the wind chill, it could feel like 17 degrees.

The cold weather has kept public works employees scuttling around the city.

There have been four water main breaks over the past three days.

On Tuesday, a pipe burst along Oakes Avenue. Two other pipes broke Wednesday along Glenhaven Drive and State Street.

A fourth break, also on State Street, occurred Thursday morning.

An additional two breaks happened during the week of Dec. 12.

These water main breaks can be caused when temperatures fluctuate below and above freezing.

The Reserve at Everett, a senior-living apartment building, had significant flooding because of the cold Wednesday.

Pipes burst and released “gallons and gallons” of rusty water, tenant Laura Starcer said.

“It was like a river coming down the hallway,” she said.

Starcer lives on the fifth floor. Water leaked from the ceiling and dripped down to the ground floor, she said.

Building management had to bring in people to soak up the water from the carpet.

The Snohomish County Public Utility District suggests tenants and landlords keep thermostats set to at least 55 degrees to avoid frozen pipes.

PUD spokesman Neil Neroutsos also recommended people check their homes for any leaks that could carry in cold air. Sealing leaks is an easy way to keep the heat inside the house, and save money.

The greater the temperature difference between outside and inside, the harder a thermostat has to work to keep a home warm.

“If we drop from a high of 35 to 25, you have to make up that additional 10 degrees to keep your basic home temperature at 68,” Neroutsos said.

With the increase in energy demand, the PUD has set up additional contracts with energy companies to keep up.

The cold snap has brought some of the highest demand days for energy in three years, Neroutsos said.

January heat bills could be double what people normally spend during summer months, Neroutsos said.

“The more people can conserve and be cognizant of the energy they use during the cold snaps, the better they can keep their bills in check,” he said.

Meanwhile, the fire department also urges people to be mindful of wintry dangers.

On Wednesday, two 15-year-old boys ventured out on to the ice-covered Lake Serene near Lynnwood. The ice was thin, and the boys fell through.

One boy was able to pull himself out of the water.

The other boy had wandered about 150 feet from shore. He had to swim for 28 minutes while rescuers crawled across to the lake.

A third boy fell through an ice-covered pond in Bothell on Thursday morning. He was not hurt.

“The ice in Western Washington never gets thick enough to support the weight of a person, even a child,” Fire District 1 spokeswoman Leslie Hynes said. “Stay off the ice.”

Caitlin Tompkins: 425-339-3192; ctompkins@heraldnet.com.

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