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This article was published 3/3/2014 (2392 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeggers still waiting for the city to unfreeze their water pipes can shower at 12 public pools and the Fort Rouge Leisure Centre.

The city is making public pools available to everyone on its water-line thawing waiting list, Mayor Sam Katz and water and waste director Diane Sacher announced Monday.

A total of 619 properties reported frozen water lines this year and 537 are still waiting for their water service to resume.

The city is operating three DBH electric pipe-thawing machines around the clock five days a week and 15 hours a day the other two days, but the backlog to restore service remains 10 to 14 days for an average home.

Sacher said she expects the backlog to continue to increase, as more reports of frozen lines come in every day. The threat of frozen pipes will not disappear until the ground thaws in May or June.

The city has found the soil frozen to a depth of 2.1 metres this winter, which is below the usual maximum of 1.5 metres. This is due to the extreme cold, itself a result of southern excursions of the circumpolar vortex.

The city has purchased polyethylene water hoses to hook up homes without water to neighbouring properties. Homes connected to a neighbour’s water supply will experience reduced water pressure, but residents should still be able to run laundry and take showers.

The city recommends running water at a trickle constantly at all properties where pipes have been thawed, and all homes and businesses sent notices they are at risk of water-line freezing.

The city does not recommend running the water at any other property, Sacher noted.