80% of Anson County left without running water after water main break

WADESBORO, N.C. – Eighty percent of Anson County is without water after a water main break county officials say. Water flowed down Highway 74 in Wadesboro near Wade Hills Tuesday afternoon while crews worked to fix the problem. Residents were left without running water for at least 12 hours.

“I’ve got no water at my house. My mother, my 88 year old mother, has no water at her house. We don’t know what to do,” Leake Little, Wadesboro resident said.

Businesses like the Wadesboro Laundromat and the McDonald’s closed early Tuesday because there was no water. The County Manager cancelled the county commissioners meeting Tuesday evening because there was no water at the Government Center.

Food Lion is the closest grocery store in Wadesboro. The water aisle was near empty. Our crews saw employees bringing in palettes of packs. Management limited customers to buy only two packs of water at a time.

“I had my fiance to pick up some more water, and I’m just getting some more, but it’s just like bathing and cooking and stuff like that,” Teresa Short, Wadesboro resident said.

The county manager says a pipe burst Tuesday while private utility crews worked to fix another problem that was identified last week. He’s hoping to get the water back on by Wednesday morning.

Crews are working around the clock to bring the water back. Now some residents realize the resource is more fragile than they thought.

“It makes me question all the things we used to take for granted, like power, water, and and the ability just to spend time with our families,” Leake Little said.

By the time residents wake up Wednesday morning the county manager says water should be back on. County officials already issued a boil water notice for when water is restored. Several fire departments in the area handed out free boxes of water Tuesday evening including the Wadesboro Fire Department on Washington Street.

The county manager says it will cost at least $500,000 to fix the problem that left the county without water.