Yes, the water is still not running in the Providence Arbours neighborhood. As of 5:34 pm this afternoon, www.charlotte.com is reporting the following update:
Water outage in south Charlotte
Between 500 and 800 residents in south Charlotte were without water for about 16 hours Friday as utility workers struggled to repair a leaky service line.
The problem line was located in the 4700 block of McKee Road, just off Providence Road. Workers first responded to the problem Thursday night and determined the leak needed immediate attention.
Workers expected to have the line back up and running Friday morning, but as of 5 p.m. only part of the affected area was back in service.
“It has been a complicated repair,” said Vic Simpson, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities spokesman. “It usually takes a few hours, but this one was deeper than they expected.”
Service lines typically run from water mains to a few homes. Fixing one, however, often requires shutting off the water main.
Simpson said fixing the unusually large service line – about 4 inches in diameter — also required some parts and equipment that workers did not expect. He said workers had difficulty fully shutting off water so they could excavate the pipe safely. Simpson also said they had to bring in a larger pump to get the water out of the hole.
Officials now expect the line to be back up by 8 p.m. The utility department made half-gallon jugs of water available for residents at its work site. Later in the day, some workers went door-to-door with water jugs.
“We know it has been a long night for folks,” Simpson said.
Simpson said utility workers would be going around the clock until the repairs are done.
