Some customers still without clean running water in Anson County

ANSON COUNTY, N.C. – Some Anson County residents have been without water more than 24 hours after a water main break. County offices and businesses were closed Wednesday as crews repaired the break around 4:00am.

In some parts of the area, water is slowly flowing through the pipes again but county officials say it’s not safe to drink just yet. They have issued a boil water order until further notice.

“All the water has been really dirty and just, we can’t do a lot of stuff we normally do. No water, can’t feed, our animals can’t really clean,” Sebastian Hernandez, Wadesboro Resident said.

The county manager says crews were working to replace a valve Tuesday afternoon when a large pipe burst cutting off water for 80% of the county.

“They were trying to put in a pressure reducing valve, which was the problem to start with because a lot of these systems, these lines are old. It was a 24 inch water main and that’s why there’s so many folks without water,” Len Sossamon, Anson County Manager said.

He says crews worked around the clock to repair the break and bring back the water. However he says it’s a band-aid over an old wound.

“The fix is to replace all of them. That would take years and to rebuild the new water plant and replace all the lines I’m going to say a billion dollars. Not a million, but a billion,” Sossamon said.

As water slowly trickles through the pipes, it’s not coming out clean in most places. County officials have issued a boil order under further notice. Residents are also asked to conserve water whenever possible. Local fire departments have been distributing bottled water to impacted residents. Food Lion also gave away water Wednesday afternoon.

“I’m grateful that I have a community like this that has given out water to help out and my mom, she wanted me to come out here because we really needed it and so I’m grateful,” Hernandez said.

County officials say residents should vigorously boil water for at least one minute before using it for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth and food preparation to eliminate any disease-causing organisms that may be present in the water.