NORWICH – At least two broken water service lines have been identified in the City of Norwich as the result of this winter’s cold weather, and according to Department of Public Works Superintendent Carl Ivarson, more broken lines are still being identified.

A four-inch service outside of the Chenango County Council of the Arts building, located at 27 West Main St., and a six-inch service on Beebe Avenue were found to be broken in half. According to Ivarson, the broken lines are old and made of cast iron, which can break easily as a result of the cold weather.

“Each line is worth 100 gallons a minute,” Ivarson said, explaining the amount of water that could have been lost. “The one on Beebe Avenue was broken for a day or two before we noticed,” he said. Ivarson explained the line at the Arts Council could have been broken for a matter of weeks or months. “In winter, the water goes down instead of rising to the service,” he said, explaining why the problem was not obvious to those passing by.