Cloudy, murky water flows from faucets in Anson County

WADESBORO, N.C. – More than a week after a major pipe burst Anson County residents still don’t have clean water. The county is under a boil water advisory and some households may be dealing with low water pressure. People have been leaning on bottled water while the water has been out and unsafe to drink.

“It’s cloudy, it’s kind of white, but I’ve just been using it to take a bath with,” Walter Liseenby, Wadesboro Resident said.

Anson county residents are forced to boil their water or risk salmonella.

“It makes you feel bad because you you gotta trust in the water and the people that control it, but they they’re not doing their job or something going wrong,” Liseenby said.

The county is dealing with 850 miles of old pipes and water lines that haven’t been properly maintained, now the system is fragile. A water main break officials thought would take hours to repair turned into days without running water. As crews continue repairs customers are advised to stock up on bottled water just in case.

“You can’t just Slam the water in. You can’t because you would create pockets of water. Then those will be like an air hamper, and that would create another leak somewhere,” Anson County Manager Len Sossamon said.

The county manager says Anson needs a new water plant. State Representative Mark Brody is asking the state for $100 million dollars to fix the water problem, but the manager says he needs a billion dollars for a permanent fix.

“That’s not counting all the lines and the pumps and the other infrastructure. That would probably be another 600,000 or so. So we’re talking about $1 billion it would it be to rebuild this entire system,” Sossamon said.

Residents say they want leaders to pay up for a permanent fix.

“I think they need to start fixing it, that’s what I think and they should’ve been fixed it,” Betty Gaddy Wadesboro resident said.

Charlotte water crews are assisting in Anson County. The state emergency management department is packing up palates of water for residents who need it while the boil advisory continues. Some residents say that’s not enough.

“They need to give us a big break on these water bills,” Gaddy said.

Charlotte water has been helping Anson County test the water. After a couple rounds of negative tests, officials will lift the boil water advisory but until then residents must boil water for at least a minute before consumption. Residents can request water delivery from the county emergency management at 704-694-7085. Water is also available at fire departments in Anson County.