5 months ago
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As workers and volunteers have fixed one leak, another springs up, but the mayor says they are not tapped out of ideas quite yet.
Robert Lee Hester says, "We were probably one of the first to call and say we don't have water pressure."
Robert Hester is one of hundreds of patient Thornburg community members who have been without water since Monday.
Hester laughs, "We've had some water, but you have to wait to get a shower."
Perryville Mayor Howard Porter adds, "Nobody wants to be in this situation. I apologize to everyone, believe me though my guys are doing everything to solve the problem."
Porter says the events this week are beyond unusual. Within two days, two water lines with leaks were fixed, but there is a third that hasn't been located.
He explains, "The combination of these two leaks was a major drain on pressure in this whole water system. It's actually causing us not to find another leak that we're sure is out there and we've had to come back and isolate different areas one at a time to try and pin point it so we can go locate it."
In addition, a water pump in the pump station broke. Porter says he's not here to supervise, but simply to help because with all the water on the ground and low water pressure it makes it difficult to find the leak.
"Hopefully we'll find a hole where the water has been boiling out of, but sometimes that's hard when there is so much water around it. You can't see it and that's the problem right now," Mayor Porter says.
While I was with Hester he regained water with little pressure. He says he is grateful for any amount, "Considering the people just a few miles from us have no water. It may take them a little longer to find it because you're talking about going up and over rough rocks and hills to get to some of these places."
Mayor Porter says a boil order is standard procedure because dirt might get in your water. Once the leak is solved they will send a water sample for tests and lift the boil order when they get the results back.
FRIDAY 9:45 p.m. UPDATE: Mayor Porter called Today's THV and says while workers were pressurizing the lines they found the leak off Lake Sylvia Road. Those residents won't have water for a few hours while the dig up the line and patch it. Everyone else should have water with little water pressure.
