Serving Barnwell County and it's neighbors since 1852
Williston residents were without water or with low water pressure throughout Labor Day weekend after three breaks in main lines. A quick response by town officials and crews brought repairs by Monday in what was being called an “an emergency situation,” by Mayor Brett Williams.
The breaks began on Friday, August 30 after the motor failed on the pump at the Schuler Street well, “which led to an increase in pressure within the waterlines, causing several major breaks in the system,” said Mayor Williams.
When the Schuler Street well’s motor failed, the back up well on Elko Street kicked on. Air remaining in the lines from the stalling of the broken motor caused the ruptures.
Breaks occurred at the intersection of Elko Street and Springfield Road, on western end of Main Street, and on Wactor Street. Numerous service lines, such as one on Merchant Street behind apartment buildings, also broke as a result.
Residents traveling near the intersection of Elko Street and Springfield Road can see cones marking off an area where the road buckled due to these main line breaks.
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Part of the road at the intersection of Elko Street and Springfield Road in Williston buckled as a result of broken main lines.
Part of the road at the intersection of Elko Street and Springfield Road in Williston buckled as a result of broken main lines.
Part of the road at the intersection of Elko Street and Springfield Road in Williston buckled as a result of broken main lines.
Town crews and officials, volunteers from Williston and Elko Fire Departments (WFD), Williston Police Department (WPD), and many more community members gathered to help fix the initial break, monitor traffic, and begin to look for solutions.
However, it seemed after they fixed one issue, another would occur.
“We regret to inform you that after successfully repairing the water mains overnight and refilling the tanks, another main has unfortunately burst,” stated Mayor Williams in a Saturday post.
These compiling breaks kept town crews, the town’s contracted maintenance service WaterSystem Inc. employees, and volunteers up throughout much of the holiday weekend.
“While we slept, they worked,” said Williston resident Mary Ann Walkup. “Thank you to everyone that worked through the evening and night to return water service. We take for granted the little hands we turn and water comes out.”
Residents were kept informed on the progressing situation through updates on the town’s Facebook page.
On Sunday, the town experienced another break “due to pressure issues in our water lines. Please be aware that crews are currently working to restore water service as quickly as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding during this time,” said Mayor Williams in a post.
“This weekend has presented significant challenges for our community, and we sincerely appreciate your patience as our team has worked tirelessly to restore water service. While we strive to be prepared for any emergency, the timing and nature of a crisis can test even the best preparedness plans,” said Mayor Williams. “Although this round of repairs is complete, we are still working to stabilize our system. A plan is in place to restore our main well, and we hope the system holds steady until those repairs are finalized.”
The town was placed under a Boil Water Advisory on Saturday, August 31, which was lifted three days later on Tuesday, September 3 after testing was conducted.
“Bacteriological samples were collected from the drinking water system serving the community,” states the advisory repeal letter from Water Systems Inc. “The results of this sampling indicated that the system is now safe to use for drinking and cooking purposes.”
On Tuesday, the Schuler Street is scheduled to be repaired with a new motor, according to Administrator Mike Beasley.
“We will have personnel on-site tomorrow morning to work on our offline well. We are optimistic that it will be back online by Wednesday,” said Mayor Williams in a Monday, September 2 post.
Town officials sprang into action purchasing pallets of bottled water to help residents during the outage. Williston residents were able to get one 40-count pack of water bottles, three gallon jugs, or distilled water if needed for medical devices per household.
“It is a blessing to see the town come together,” said councilmember Judy Taylor as she manned the check-in table at the distribution site alongside resident Lora Odermatt. “We are working with what we got, and everyone is pitching in.”
During Sunday’s distribution, volunteers of all ages were walking up and getting involved right away, helping unload pallets and bring cases of water to vehicles.
Councilmembers and their significant others, as well as volunteers from the Williston Fire Department (WFD), Williston Police Department (WPD), Elko Fire Department, town hall offices, and the community at large all pulled together to make this distribution event possible.
Williston based industry National Beverage Screen Printing (NBS) provided a truck for the pallets to be transported and stored, and council members and volunteers unloaded water and directed distribution traffic.
“When I tell you that I'm thankful to live in a small town and community, I mean it. A big thanks to everyone that has come out to volunteer their time to help over the last couple of days,” said resident Andy Deering.
Both WFD and WPD visited housebound and elderly residents to deliver bottled water and ensure their safety.
Southeastern Housing and Community Development with the help of Mt. Beulah Baptist Church in Windsor delivered bottled water to residents in their Williston communities experiencing outages.
Williston-Elko schools were able to open on Tuesday, Sept. 3. According to Barnwell County School District superintendent Dr. Crissie Stapleton, plans were in place for boil water advisories based on recommendations for schools under such conditions.
Many restaurants and food service stations at convenience stores took precaution throughout the weekend. Hardee’s in Williston served bottled soda rather than filling cups from their beverage machine, and Circle K stopped serving items such as food, soda, or coffee per S.C. Department of Health regulation.
At many recent council meetings, the town has discussed upcoming wastewater and water system repair grants such as the $6 million awarded by the S.C. Infrastructure Investment Program (SCIPP) in late 2022.
Part of this funding is going toward well replacement. Per grant requirements and terms, work is set to begin in January 2025, construction must be done by June 2025, and the project must be fully completed by December 31, 2026.
Water system repairs are also on the town’s list to be funded if the Capital Project Sales Tax (CPST) referendum passes on the November ballot.
Many small towns in rural communities rely on this type of federal funding to make the needed repairs on aging water systems that they otherwise cannot afford.
Water has since been restored for many residents in the town as repairs continue.
