Hundreds of Toronto residents are without water due to frozen water supply pipes as a result of a recent cold snap gripping the city.

The City of Toronto reported that approximately 400 properties were without water on Wednesday afternoon, and warned that the number would continue to grow as cold weather persists.

"The City is receiving an unprecedented volume of calls from residents and businesses without water," a statement said.

Nearly 2,200 calls have come in since Feb. 14, and more than 1,200 of the calls were received during the first three days.

The statement said that the mayor met with City Manager Joe Pennachetti and Toronto Water General Manager Lou Di Gironimo on Thursday morning to discuss a strategy, as some have been without water for several days.

"Water is a basic need, and we need to be able to respond faster to get water back into people's homes," Mayor John Tory said in the statement.

"Toronto Water crews are working as hard as they can to respond to the large volume of calls; however, we need more resources to help customers understand what we are dealing with, and when staff will be onsite to investigate each situation."

Pennachetti, Di Gironimo and Tory will create a special team dedicated to working with residents who are without water because of frozen pipes.

Until the task force is launched, current crews are only able to thaw approximately 15 to 20 water supply lines per day.

The delays have been criticized by residents and by former Toronto mayor Rob Ford.

"It's nice to see @johntoryTO is still running #Toronto like a business….too bad it's now like a cable repair company. #Water," Ford wrote on Twitter.

A homeowner living on St. Clair Avenue West, near Dufferin Street, told CTV Toronto's John Musselman they'd been without water for three days.

"Our city has a failing infrastructure that needs to be worked on," Denise Teixeira said Thursday.

"They should be coming over here and making it a priority to every Toronto citizen who has this issue."

What to do if your pipes are frozen

Along with the statement announcing the new water strategy, city officials offered several tips to residents dealing with frozen pipes.

Those with a frozen pipe in their home are advised to follow these steps:

  • Turn on a tap in the basement, preferably the cold water faucet
  • Use a hair dryer to warm the pipe for one or two hours
  • Place space heaters in the room near the pipe
  • Place a warm towel or rag around the suspected frozen pipe

The thawing process could take between one and six hours.

Customers with no water to only one faucet or appliance likely have a frozen pipe in their home. If the above steps don't solve the problem, they're asked to contact a plumber.

Those who have no water coming to any faucets in their home are likely dealing with a frozen service pipe outside their home. If the above steps don't solve the problem, they're asked to call 311.