Many civilians are wondering when their tap will run again after many Baldwin residents have been without clean, running water since Thursday, June 26. Although the Baldwin Mountain system’s water main pipes have been reconnected, the system’s pressure has not yet recovered, according to the city’s Facebook page.
The city’s public works staff has been repairing the water pipes since the day of the break, according to Baldwin Mayor Stephanie Almagno. According to her, residents of Banks County with higher elevation water sources are the ones most impacted by the outage. The line failures also affect people who live close to a blow-off valve.
According to her, the issue is with ancient lines that are buried deep. Everyone is aware that water accelerates, pressure rises, and the old lines burst when it flows downhill.
Customer backlash
The days-long outage infuriated customers, who vented on social media. Councilwoman Alice Venter offered scathing criticism of some, writing in one post, “I am SICK and TIRED of the shit that gets thrown at the city and the people that serve it.” Eight years of effort for ignorance and nothing else. I’ll be gone in six months, so don’t worry. I’m not your punching bag, though, till then. Furthermore, neither are the employees. Time.
Nevertheless, the public’s annoyance and rage toward people without water were not diminished by the possibility of falling into Venter’s crosshairs.
As Sheryl Scott put it, Water just stopped pouring out of the shower after I returned home from a long night job! City of Baldwin, what the fuck?
Tammy Crosby, a different Baldwin water user, commented, “There isn’t even a gurgle, sputter, or drip.” I might be able to get as much water from the ones that are on exhibit at Lowe’s.
Venter and others told Crosby that the system needed to regain its pressure. What is the duration of that [sic]? Was the leak fixed on Friday evening?
Service was restored on Monday, according to many people who had been without power for days. Online criticism persisted, though, with several people asking for reimbursement for the time they were without service.
Solution in site but still 2 to 3 months away
According to Almagno, a cased line beneath Highway 441 is the answer to the line breaks. According to her, the Georgia Department of Transportation recently gave the city permission to excavate beneath the road in order to install the new line.
“It will take two to three months to finish the new line project,” Baldwin Chief Administrative Officer Emily Woodmaster stated. To secure funds for the project, the city is negotiating with the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority.
According to Almagno, the line will be of great assistance to the people of the mountains, but not today.
Finding water
According to the mayor, she contacted Tim Sims, the Habersham County Manager, to grant use to the bathing facilities at the Ruby Fulbright Aquatic Center for individuals without power over the weekend.
They planned to keep the center closed for the whole weekend because the carpets had just been cleaned, but [Sims] managed to unlock a side entrance on Sunday morning for people who needed showers, she added.
According to Almagno, the public can now use the aquatic center’s main entrance.
Both potable and non-potable water are now available to homeowners thanks to the Baldwin Fire Department’s supply opening. Ross Jackson, the interim fire chief, urged the public to use the source.
“Please let us know if you have tanks, buckets, or gallon jugs to fill your water with, but try not to park in front of the [truck] bay when you’re filling up,” Jackson said.
CONNECTED:
Following a water main break, the Baldwin Boil Water Advisory was partially withdrawn.
