A waterline break early Monday morning left residents and businesses in East Franklin without water for several hours. The break occurred on Lakeside Drive between Hardee’s and Dollar General.
Shortly after 2 p.m. the town issued a notice that the leak had been repaired but that the road from the intersection of East Main Street to the rear entrance of Dollar General would remain closed. Town Manager Amie Owens said Tuesday morning the road would remain closed until DOT could repair the road to make it safe for traffic, especially for buses traveling to East Franklin Elementary School.
The town issued a voluntary water boil advisory as a precautionary measure since groundwater entered the system during the leak.
Due to the road closure and the water boil advisory, East Franklin School had a virtual learning day on Tuesday.
The break occurred when most of the town’s staff were off for the Labor Day holiday. The town had one person on call for the day but had to call in additional workers to help repair the line.
Owens said the cause of the break is not known, other than that the infrastructure in that area is old. That section of line is included in the Clyde Street project slated for work during this budget year.
She said the engineering for the project is complete and she hoped they would have bids by the end of the calendar year so construction could begin in the spring.
Boil water advisory
Owens said the boil water advisory for people in the East Franklin area was a precautionary measure because the break allowed groundwater from the rain throughout the day to enter the system.
During the boil water advisory it is recommended customers vigorously boil water for at least 1 minute before consumption. This includes water used for drinking, dental care, making ice or food preparation. It is not necessary to boil water for showering, laundry or other non-consumptive uses.
Water should be boiled from the time the advisory is issued and continue until the Town of Franklin officially lifts the advisory. During the time the advisory is in effect, the Public Works Department will have an outside laboratory perform an analysis to determine if the water is safe and meets all standards. The advisory will remain in effect until the town receives the lab results.
Owens said the the town will post a notice when the advisory is lifted.