This year is on track to be the worst for watermain breaks in Humboldt.

There have been 23 breaks in 2017 compared to just six last year, according to figures provided to city council Tuesday.

“That’s a very interesting issue to break down. Primarily we have had a mild winter, however we were a bit surprised on the number of breaks that we were experiencing,” said Peter Bergquist, director of public works and utilities.

Ten or more breaks were also reported in 2011 and 2014.

Minor water pressure fluctuations due to work at the water distribution facility may have contributed to some of the problem this year, but at the end of the day the pipes are just getting old and are vulnerable to minor fluctuations in pressure, temperature or soil conditions, Bergquist said.

“The concerning indicators we’ve seen with some of the breaks indicate that we need to make some decisions here to progress the watermain replacements in some areas, primarily to lower the disruptions to the residents or businesses that are affected by these breaks.”