Waterline leak still not fixed after a weekBy Ron Menchaca (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Friday, August 15, 2008
Ron Menchaca Denise Ewart of Sangaree stands near a stream of water that's been running down her street for a week because of a leaking underground water pipe. Berkeley County officials told Watchdog that other priorities and bad weather delayed the leak's repair. Watchdog
Are you ticked off by people who illegally use handicap placards? Want to know which restaurants are making you sick or which gas stations have bad pumps? After Berkeley County recently raised water and sewer rates, Sangaree residents Bill and Denise Ewart were a bit surprised that a leaking underground water pipe on their street went unrepaired for a week after they and their neighbors reported it. "I wouldn't expect them to come out in a day," Bill Ewart said. "But a week? They just raised our costs, and taxpayers are paying for that water." Watchdog visited Eaton Way in the Hampton Trace neighborhood where the leak was clearly visible, bubbling up from a hole in a cul-de-sac. On Thursday, the steady flow fed a stream that ran down the center of the street and around a corner. The leak wasn't gushing or spraying water. It resembled the trail of water that appears when someone washes a car. Only, this one was running 24 hours a day for seven days. "That's a lot of water," Denise Ewart said. Berkeley County Water and Sanitation officials said competing repair priorities and bad weather delayed fixing the leak but they planned to have it repaired by the end of the day. Johanna Cooper, the utility's community relations manager, said leak repairs and other service calls are prioritized. Problems that cause service interruptions or threaten water quality go to the top of the list. "We take all customer reports seriously. There were other things in line that came before this." The utility won't be able to determine the amount of water that escaped over the past week until crews find the source, measure the hole and study meter reports, Cooper said. "Even then, it would only be a ballpark figure." The amount of the county's sewer and water rate increase, which took effect July 1, is less elusive. It was 30 percent. Reach Ron Menchaca at rmenchaca@postandcourier.com or 937-5724. |
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Comments
This article has 7 comment(s)
Posted by amylrod on August 15, 2008 at 7:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Good point, Thomas. Though, no one will be fired.
Posted by kingsacura on August 15, 2008 at 8:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
yes,
My bill is now $81.00.
Bend over and take it
Posted by carolinadude on August 15, 2008 at 9:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Apparently existing residents in and around Sangaree, Tramway, College Park etc are paying for the development costs associated with all of the Del Web/Cane Bay development going on up hwy 176. In my view it's almost criminal for a local government to raise the rates on existing customers to pay for this mega expansion as opposed to assessing "developer impact fees".
Posted by drp7773 on August 15, 2008 at 9:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Don't they still have the water plant right around the corner on that road next to the Bi-lo coming from Sville? raise the rates to what,offset cost because we know it's not from a shortage of water then piss away a week 24-7 of water and not bother them a bit.
Posted by Bones on August 15, 2008 at 12:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The rate indrease was due to B*S financing that the board should have known better than doing. They went with "short-term" bond floats vice a traditional long-term bond and got their a**es handed to them druing the credit crunch. Even a first-year economics student in college should know better than this fine example of pi**-poor financial planning exhibited by our board. Please remember when they come up for re-election.
Posted by jeff61 on August 15, 2008 at 5:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Sorry Cold Beer but you are wrong.
The bats did not come from the ladies hair, they came from Thomas's head...
Posted by COLDESTBEER on August 15, 2008 at 9:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)
actually,, if at any point a pressurized water main is compromised it is prone to contamination from sources upstream of the pressure drop. The industry term is 'back-siphonage", and although all commercial accounts are required to have "back-flow preventers" installed, the residential accounts have a real and significant possibility to contaminate the water system.