Smithtown water main break one of several caused by cold snap

Water flooded store parking lots along Jericho Turnpike in Smithtown Thursday in the latest water main break to hit Long Island thanks to the cold snap, authorities said.

Crews were repairing that break and sanding roadways there in the afternoon and at water main breaks in Deer Park and Carle Place, fire and water district officials said.

Seven customers were without water in the Smithtown break that was reported about 3 p.m. on the north side of Jericho Turnpike, near Cornell Drive, authorities said.

Joe Pokorny, deputy director for operations at the Suffolk County Water Authority, said workers will have to dig into the asphalt to locate the problem and replace the pipes.

Another crew has been doing the same type of work in Deer Park, where eight homes are without water after a pipe burst at Pitt Avenue near Drake Avenue, Pokorny said.

A break in Carle Place led to the closure of Glen Cove Road for two hours Thursday morning.

Only one lane has been reopened as crews dig into the roadway to reach the water pipes, said James Passariello, water plant operator for the Carle Place Water District.

No homes have been affected because workers were able to shut off valves to the problem section of piping, expected to be replaced by the end of the day, Passariello said.

He and Pokorny said the frigid cold of the past few days has taken a toll on the pipes.

Frigid temperatures can displace or disturb the soil, they said.

"The ground shifts a little bit and the cast iron water mains tend to break," Passariello said.

Overnight, the Suffolk County Water Authority handled seven water main breaks, Pokorny said.

"Our crews worked all night to get them repaired," he said. "We just cut out the section of pipe that has fractured and we basically splice in a new piece of pipe."