The swing in temperatures in Toronto has led to an expected increase in water main breaks.
Bill Shea, director of distribution and collection for Toronto Water, said as of 11 a.m. Wednesday, there had been 67 water main breaks over the last three days, with several more expected by the end of the day.
He also predicts we'll see more later this week.
"Our normal break rate is about five per day during normal weather conditions, so I would imagine we're going to be between five and 10 over the next couple of days, per day," he said.
Extra crews were dispatched this week to deal with the increase, and while they are unpredictable, thankfully there haven't been any major street shutdowns or flooding.
Most of the burst pipes stem from the over 100-year-old cast-iron pipes in the downtown core, which Toronto Water expects to be completely replaced over the next 10 to 15 years.
Shea said after the pipe replacement budget hit around $150 million last year, and with city staff presenting the operating and capital budget on Monday, an increase is expected.
"It'll be increased I think probably by about 10 to 20 per cent this year, but you do reach a point where you've reached your capacity in terms of resources and you reach your capacity in terms of what the city can bear," he said.