News

Jun 07, 2023

Boil advisory lifted in Mount Olive after town's water shut off

A boil advisory was lifted Tuesday, two days after the town of Mount Olive shut off its water Sunday night. Water for the entire Town of Mount Olive was shut off Sunday night at 8 p.m. to repair a

A boil advisory was lifted Tuesday, two days after the town of Mount Olive shut off its water Sunday night.

Water for the entire Town of Mount Olive was shut off Sunday night at 8 p.m. to repair a broken water main. Water services returned Monday morning, but residents were under a boil water advisory until Tuesday.

The water shutoff in Mount Olive was due to a broken 12-inch main in front of Robert's Machine Shop off N.C. Highway 55.

Many residents in the town stocked up on water from grocery stores. While stores weren't sold out, some shelves were empty.

"So I bought some water and paper plates," Jean Wallace, a Mount Olive resident, said. "I'm going to go home and wash up what dishes I have, if any, and tell everybody the kitchen is closed."

In advance of the repairs, many fast-food restaurants like Taco Bell and Burger King closed early.

The break is causing a loss of approximately 50,000 gallons of water per day. Jeremy King, Ultilities Director for the Town of Mount Olive, said completely shutting the water off is a quick, temporary fix for its outdated infrastructure.

"The only way to get this shut off was to shut every valve in the tanks, to kill the whole town," King explained. "The system is getting old, it's over 50 years old. With age, anything happens, you got galvanized lines that deteriorate [and] corrode over time."

This is the third water main break in July in a rural town in North Carolina. On July 3, the town of Selma was placed under a boil water advisory after a 12-inch water main break was discovered in their lines.

Just one week later, Sanford and Lee County was forced to deal with a boil water advisory after a water main break was discovered in their lines.

King said small towns, like Mount Olive, have an increasing number of water and sewer issues. He's hoping this shutoff will bring more attention to the infrastructure repairs the town needs.

"With this happening the way it did, maybe we can get some eyes lifted. Maybe we can get some funding to help us get this water system where it needs to be at," King said.