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Contractor completes move of water main, Columbia says water pressure issues solved

Several residents reported having a significant drop in water pressure on Saturday. The moving of a water main was likely the cause.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Columbia city officials say water pressure issues should be over for most St. Andrews, Broad River, and Harbison residents after the moving of a 36-inch water main.

Calls and messages came into New19 on Saturday afternoon with residents over a wide area reporting low - or sometimes no - water pressure with no explanation. Furthermore, some of those residents also reported being unable to get to a person on the water department's 24-hour service line.

News19 was able to speak with Columbia Assistant City Manager Clint Shealy that night who was able to explain the reason for the pressure issues and provide a time when the water would hopefully be back.

As part of the Carolina Crossroads interstate project, a 36-inch water main had to be moved - a process that meant water for a full region of Columbia had to be supplied from other lines to compensate.

And, residents throughout the northeastern portion of Columbia took notice - so much so that 24-7 call lines were apparently overloaded. Shealy said this was likely the case for those who got kicked off their calls to report the issue.

Shealy said the city had been working diligently to shift water from other areas to help keep issues to a minimum but did say that the main that was being moved was a major supply line for the region. Nonetheless, he said the city was working with the contractor to have the line restored to working order soon the following morning.

And it wasn't too long into the next day that Shealy said the good news came.

"Contractor completed work before midnight and we were back to normal shortly thereafter,” he said.

That said, residents who continue to experience issues or who may have seen their water pressure drop completely are urged to contact the after-hours Columbia Water emergency line at 803-545-3300 if they haven't already done so.

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