Main Breaks and Sewer Clogs

You can report water main breaks & clogs 24 hours a day, including holidays. Do not use email to report emergencies.

Do not assume your neighbor will make the call. The Water Department would rather receive multiple reports about a suspected problem than no calls at all.

Monday - Friday

8:00am to 5:00pm
817-237-1211 ext. 110

After Hours

Including Holidays and Weekends
817-237-1224 ext. 0

Water Main Breaks

Signs of a broken water main are water running down the street and buckled pavement. Main breaks may leave specific areas without water. Based on the size of the main pipeline break and the time required to locate and mark other buried utilities, resident may experience water outages as crews repair breaks and restore water service. 

Listed below are all the steps involved in the actual repair of a main break.

Procedures to Repair Main Breaks

• Reports are received; 
• Information regarding the break's location is logged;
• Someone is dispatched to verify if it is a break or a leak, to determine the specific address and specific location of the leak or main break, and to begin the process of closing valve to isolate the break;
• The verification is relayed to dispatch 
• Responding crew contacts the firm responsible for located all nearby utilities (gas, telephone, electric, cable), so the hazards are identified prior to digging;
• Note: Locate crews have up to 2 hours to mark the utilities. Water crews cannot proceed until they receive approval or until the 2 hours are exhausted. Having the locations of other underground utilities identified before water crews begin digging is essential. We do not want to damage other underground utilities that could put customers without phone service or result in a gas leak. Striking a buried electrical cable could result in injuries to the employee operating the heavy machinery, as well as anyone else nearby. 
• Once approval is received to dig or the 2 hour period is expired, the crew will proceed with repairs. 
• The repair crew updates dispatch on the estimated repair time. A standard repair takes four to five hours to complete the repair, dispatch is updated with this status. 
• In the event numerous resident will be with out water for an extended amount of time a Code Red Notification will be sent out to the affected area. Note: Code Red is a Notification System the City uses to contact resident and commercial business. To receive these notifications you must sign up for it. You are able to sign up by click the Code Red Icon located to left under Helpful Links.

Clogged Sewers

Sewer backups and overflows are frequently caused by fats, oils and grease being placed into the sewer system. These items are lighter than water and they tend to accumulate in the sewer pipes, very similar to how cholesterol builds up in the body's blood stream and arteries until a blockage occurs. The backups could result in damage to your property or it could overflow into the storm drain causing environmental damage to rivers and streams.

If your sewer backs up, please contact the Lake Worth Water Department immediately at the number above. A crew can make sure the blockage is not in the city-owned portion of the pipe before you incur the expense of a private plumber.

It is also a good idea for all property owners and tenants to become familiar with the general layout of their plumbing system, especially the location of their sewer "clean-out" outlet. The outlet cover is usually located in the yard and allows easy access to the more distant stretches of the private sewer line so blockages may be removed. A plumber can help locate sewer clean outs.

Resident can aid in preventing clogged sewer lines by not putting grease and greasy food scraps down the sink or garbage disposal. Grease and meat drippings should be collected in a disposable container and thrown into the trash. Any other greasy leftovers (bones, meat trimming, etc.) should be thrown into the trash.

The label might say “flushable,” but disposable wipes and other products are clogging our sewer lines and damaging pumps and other equipment.