Some Raleigh residents left without water

Andrea Blanford Image
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Some Raleigh residents left without water
An equipment upgrade caused some Raleigh residents to go without water

RALEIGH, North Carolina (WTVD) -- Despite a fix, some Raleigh residents say their water is still off after city-mandated maintenance forced them to go without since Monday.

On Tuesday evening, some residents said their water returned.

However, half of the complex remains without water Wednesday as crews continue to repair old piping that burst.

ABC11 went looking for answers Tuesday after a viewer complained she couldn't cook, shower, or use the bathroom in her unit at the Governors Point Apartments.

Ed Buchan, Environmental Coordinator with the City of Raleigh Utilities Dept. said that in February the city notified the apartment complex to replace its aging back flow devices, which can prevent water contamination in the event of a water main break, after the equipment failed tests.

Stay on top of breaking news stories with the ABC11 News App

Last Wednesday, the property management sent an email to residents, letting them know water would be temporarily shut off Friday while crews performed upgrades to the water supply plumbing. The email said water service would return sometime Friday evening, which residents say it did.

A similar email went out about a temporary water outage for Monday, but by that evening, residents came home to no running water; some said they were left out of the loop about what was happening and when they would get their water service back.

Brian Carden, manager with Progressive Plumbing, the contractor installing the new devices, told ABC11 part of the old piping system blew out after his crew installed one back flow assembly Monday, forcing them to keep the water off for twice as long as expected.

That repair has since been completed and crews are finishing installing another device. Carden said he had expected them to finish the project and have the water back on Tuesday evening.

The property manager for Governors Point Apartments did not want to comment.

Related Topics