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Washington Suburban Sanitation Commission officials warned Tuesday they are bracing for a winter full of water main breaks and leaks, a rising trend over the past 20 years as the pipe system ages and temperatures fluctuate.

During the announcement, utility technician Craig Nottingham gave a demonstration on how he repairs cracks on water pipes.

"It's usually muddy, dirty, wet and cold," Nottingham said after he tightened screws on a piece of metal wrapped around a mock broken pipe.

From January to Oct. 31, WSSC, which provides water and sewer service to Montgomery and Prince George's counties, reported 1,265 water main breaks and leaks, 240 more than during the same time period last year. Officials say winter is traditionally their busiest season as temperatures drop, causing cold water to rush through aging pipes. This causes friction and leads to cracks and bursts.

There were 1,709 total water main breaks and leaks in 2008.

Rudy Chow, WSSC chief of the customer care team, said the increasing trend of breaks is due in large part to the aging infrastructure.

Chow said about 25 percent of the system's pipes are more than 50 years old, and officials anticipate about 50 percent of the system's water main pipes will reach the end of their lives by 2025. WSSC estimates approximately $3 billion is needed to upgrade the system's entire infrastructure. So far, the replacement of pipes has been paid for in part by user rates, which were increased by 9 percent in July.

"Our current rate increase replaces 34 miles of pipe a year. We have 5,500 miles [total]," Chow said. "Modest rate increases in the last few years are making a dent, but we need a lot more money."

Chow said the commission will likely seek another rate increase next summer, as well as reach out to governmental agencies for additional funding and grants.