COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. — A boil water advisory is in effect for the City of Colonial Heights after a 50-year-old water main burst on Wednesday.
Residents began noticing they had no running water and started calling City Hall around 11 a.m. It took city crews about an hour to locate the leak.
"It’s a 16-inch PVC, so it’s a very large line," City Engineer Andrew Barnes said.
The pipe is buried deep in the woods underneath a creek, so crews have to dig down to the pipe before they can work on a solution.
"Could be 6 to 8 feet, so it is going under the creek," Barnes explained. "So it’s probably embedded pretty deep."
The city has cut off the water flowing through the broken pipe, but businesses and homes can expect reduced pressure.
"We do know we have some customers over in the vicinity of the break; they may have low or no pressure," Barnes said.
Nearly four hours after the break was discovered, the city issued the boil water advisory. The delay caused concern for some homeowners and businesses.
"I know it's crazy and I’m sure they got a lot to do, but we don’t want to get anybody sick," Vincenzo’s Italian Restaurant Co-Owner Lino Covello said."So let us know what we have to do, whether it’s boil water, close our doors but whatever it is as long as it keeps people safe."
Residents were caught off guard by the sudden loss of water.
"When I went in, there was no water, so I used some Wet Ones," Cathy Strickland, who had spent the morning working in her yard, said. "Thank God I had them."
Residents are advised to stay updated by checking the city's website or social media pages.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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