SCWA Responds to Record 504 Water Main Breaks, Serving 1.2 Million Customers

Suffolk County Water Authority repair crews closed out the harshest three-month stretch in at least a decade, responding to 504 water main breaks between December and February while keeping water running to 1.2 million customers across Long Island.

The 504 breaks represent the highest total SCWA has recorded over that December-through-February window in ten or more years. February 2026 drove the bulk of the damage, accounting for 245 ruptures on its own. January added 121 repairs, including one week when crews tackled 44 separate breaks without interrupting service.

Officials traced the surge to deep freezes that pushed frost lines further into the ground than usual. The resulting soil movement placed significant pressure on older cast iron pipes throughout Suffolk County, triggering the cascade of failures that crews raced to contain.

"Our employees were out there in the most difficult conditions imaginable because they knew Suffolk County depended on them," said SCWA Chief Executive Officer Jeff Szabo. "We made a commitment to provide high-quality water and exceptional service, and that commitment was most visible during these winter emergencies. I want to thank our dedicated staff for their continued perseverance and for everything they did to keep Suffolk County running through the winter."

Crews worked around the clock, braving sub-zero temperatures and ice throughout the season. SCWA also extended morning hours at its Customer Contact Center for the duration of each cold spell to handle the surge in service inquiries.

The winter tested infrastructure that SCWA has been actively working to replace. During the season, the authority continued an aggressive renewal program that replaced approximately 20 miles of aging water main using ductile iron pipe, a material significantly less prone to the brittle fractures that plagued older cast iron lines in extreme cold. SCWA targeted the replacements at areas with the highest frequency of repeat breaks, a strategy aimed at reducing long-term system failures.

The Suffolk County Water Authority operates as a public-benefit corporation, providing water service on a not-for-profit basis and without taxing authority. The December count contributing to the 504 total was not broken out separately in official disclosures, and SCWA has not released cost figures for the repair program or the 20-mile pipe replacement.