Foxworth Water Association customers, several of whom have made recent complaints of high water bills, have been without water since Thursday night because of a busted pipe. When the water is turned back on, there will be a boil water notice in effect until at least Wednesday.
Residents have not had water at all since Thursday when a water line busted on Cedar Street, which is the road that leads into West Marion Primary. The water line caused the yards in the surrounding area, including at the school, to flood.
Water operator Todd Dixon said the line that busted around dinnertime Thursday was a main line and that his crew was there until around 10:30 p.m. fixing it. After the repair was made and the water line was turned back on, another line on East Jackson Street ruptured around 1:30 a.m. Work started on that line around noon Friday.
A crew works on the water line on East Jackson Street Friday around noon.
Dixon said he believes the issues stem from the water lines just being old as they date back to the 1960s. The water association has been awarded a grant to replace its water lines in Foxworth and expects to receive the funds around October of this year.
A resident in Foxworth said they contacted the water department to find out when the water would be turned back on, and they were told “whenever it gets turned back on.” Dixon said he’s not sure exactly when the water will be ready to go because a new leak could spring up once they get the water pressure back up, which is what happened Thursday night into Friday morning.
“We may be chasing another leak today or tomorrow,” he said Friday morning. “It’s tough with the way it is. When you start working on an older pipe, it starts giving you problems in another area and you end up chasing it until you reach some good pipes.”
Dixon said the water will remain under a boil notice likely until Wednesday because he has to take the water to Hattiesburg to get tested. Where it gets tested will be closed Monday because of Memorial Day, then it takes 24 hours to get the results once he’s able to get it there Tuesday.
Another resident said that they have attempted to go to board meetings to discuss their bill with the board, but the board regularly changes the date of the meetings without notifying its customers. Several customers have reported water bills in excess of $100, but Board President Bobby Nichols said the high water bills have to be because of faulty plumbing, overuse or an individual’s busted water line because the water association hasn’t raised rates in two or three years.
“The people calling in about their water bill being high, most of them got a leak. They need to check their lines and their toilets because that’s the biggest problem. Sometimes that old rubber will get bad, and (a toilet) will just run water,” he said. “Either that or they’re out there watering their yard or their garden with that water. It can be a number of things, but most likely they got a leak.
“They complain about their water bill being $100, but they don’t complain about that cell phone bill being $150 or spending $1,400 for an iPhone.”
The Foxworth Water Association has office hours on Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. It can be reached at (601) 736-7424.
