The number of frozen pipes in Ottawa is reaching record territory, with more than 273 calls received by the City since November.

At an afternoon press conference at City Hall, officials said the unusually cold weather is wreaking havoc on many water pipes in the city.

“Unfortunately this year, as we all know, we have experienced an usually long stretch of record breaking low temperatures,” Dixon Weir, the General Manager of Environmental Services at the City of Ottawa said.

“This resulted in a spike in reports of frozen water services.”

64 properties, including residences and businesses, are without water. 26 of those properties have been without water for more than 72 hours.

Susanne Liou is one of those home owners. She has been without running water for six nights.

“I go to work to use the toilets,” she said. “I come home from work, I pass my water containers over, and email my neighbours to ask if I can come over and shower.”

Liou said she has had to get creative, using water jugs to store water and using snow to help water her plants.

“I’ve developed a routine,” she said.

City crews visited her house earlier in the week but could not fix the problem. Today, Liou says she was told the water pipe in question is on private property, so she must pay to fix it herself.

“Part of me is really frustrated at the communication level, or the non-communication coming out of the city,” she said. “But on the other hand, I realize that this is probably unprecedented.”

City officials said they have added additional staff to help residents and businesses get running water. Their aim is to reach and thaw every pipe within four to six days of the first call. According to Weir, the City of Ottawa turned to other municipalities and the private sector for help.

“It’s our top priority,” said Weir.

The City said they are providing people with bottled water, and is offering them free showers at any city facility.

To prevent pipes from freezing, experts suggest periodically running a tap, opening all doors to help air circulate and to turn taps on and off at least once a day. Anyone noticing a problem should contact the City of Ottawa at 3-1-1.