SC: 350,000 customers effected by water main break

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Friday, June 16, 2000

Water supply limited By Bob Montgomery ENVIRONMENTAL WRITER bmontgom@greenvillenews.com

The 350,000 customers who use the Greenville Water System are being asked to cut back their water usage until a water main that broke Thursday morning is repaired.

The 48-inch concrete water main that provides water from the North Saluda Reservoir ruptured at 9 a.m., spilling thousands of gallons of water before the line was capped about two hours later, said Frank Eskridge, manager of engineering and operations for the water system.

Water system crews isolated the break along River Road between State 11 and U.S. 25 near Travelers Rest, he said.

Crews will be working around the clock to restore service from that line, which is expected to be fixed by Monday, Eskridge said.

In the meantime, he asks people who use the system's water to cut back on nonessential uses, including watering lawns, washing cars, maintaining fountains and filling swimming pools. The restrictions aren't related to the dry weather.

During the peak season, which is under way, customers use up to 100 million gallons a day, Eskridge said. The rest of the year, about 50 million gallons a day is the norm.

With the break, the water system is able to produce 60 million to 70 million gallons a day, Eskridge said.

If normal usage is exceeded, users may notice a drop in water pressure, he said.

"We have enough for normal water usage," Eskridge said. "We're asking our customers to curtail all water usage. We simply don't have enough water to cover peak usage that has been occurring this week."

The cause of the water main break was not known, Eskridge said. He said it was the first time the 41-year-old main has broken. Bob Montgomery can be reached at 298-4295.

http://www.greenvillenews.com/news/1061600.htm

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), June 16, 2000


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