*So, who are you gonna believe, Exxon-Mobil or those giant cracks in your lawn..
http://www.statesman.com/news/local/heat-drought-taking-toll-on-pipes-roads-1654666.html
By Asher Price
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Published: 8:45 p.m. Monday, July 25, 2011
"With heat unrelentingly beating down on Central Texas, shrinking, dried-out soils are emerging as a threat to infrastructure.
"Waterlines are breaking, and calls are up at home foundation firms as moisture is sucked out of area soils.
"On Monday, the temperature in Austin reached 105 degrees for the second consecutive day, marking the ninth straight day of triple-digit heat and the 41st of the year, forecasters said.
"The next several days will likely be the warmest days we have seen since mid-June," National Weather Service forecaster Paul Yura said in an email. "Unfortunately no 'major' changes appear on the horizon."
"Real relief from high temperatures may not come for a month. At the current pace, Austin could come close to the record 69 triple-digit days of 1925 and the 68 triple-digit days of 2009 .
"Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside," the weather service cautions.
"Even as the drought takes an obvious toll on people — between Saturday and Monday afternoon, four people were taken to hospitals in heat-related incidents, according to Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services spokesman Warren Hassinger — it is slowly causing problems for infrastructure.
"The Austin Water Utility has had to respond to roughly 15 more broken waterline calls a week this summer than in an average summer week, said spokesman Jason Hill. The chief culprit is the lack of rain.
"The ground begins to dry out and shift," he said. "A good portion of the ones we're seeing are the small lines, from the water mains to homes."
"Typically the utility responds to 35 to 40 broken line calls a week. This summer, the utility is averaging 55 calls a week, he said.
"As high as the temperatures have been, they generally are "not going to be much of a concern" for infrastructure, said Jon Jelinek , president of the Structural Engineers Association of Texas . But pipes and other infrastructure are vulnerable because below-ground soils shrink or swell according to moisture conditions, he said.
"Dry conditions like the ones gripping Central Texas lead to the cracking of brick facades and drywall walls and difficulty of opening and closing doors.
"Brady Barnett , owner of Superior Foundation Repair , said that his business is getting 35 percent more calls than in an average summer.
"We're getting calls from people saying they can hear the tension and see cracks," he said...."
