Residents along Meadowlands Drive were left without water
due to a water main break last week.
According to residents, half of the
buildings along Meadowlands, east of Fisher
Avenue had their water shut off due to the break.
One of the buildings affected was 1157 Meadowlands Dr.
where residents saw no water three separate times within a two-week period. One
of the tenants, Barry L. – who didn’t want his last name used – said that the
water was off at 6 a.m. when he woke up and didn’t come back on until after 2
p.m. that afternoon.
“No one even asked ‘would you like a bottle
of water?’ we’re in the middle of a heat wave,” he said.
The water main first broke on Wednesday
then Tuesday of the week of July 5th. The city was out to address the break but
the repaired section of pipe ruptured again on July 13th.
Residents felt like they weren’t warned of
the water repairs and were left high and dry during the heat.
According to a city official, Minto was
made aware of the water being shut off and it was up to the company to notify
tenants.
“Minto buildings use sprinklers. We didn’t
have a sprinkler system – there was no fire safety,” Barry said.
According to a
city official, the water main in question has broken six times over the past 11
years. However, residents claim that it has broken four times in the last two
years.
The pipe broke
last winter as well, causing the water to be shut off to the street.
A city spokesperson
refused to comment on the questions of why the pipe broke or whether the latest
fix will hold.
jamie.doggart@metroland.com