HAZARD, Ky. (LEX 18) — For the last six days, several Perry County residents have been waiting to see a drip from their faucets after water outages popped up across Hazard, Kentucky.
These water outages follow the thawing of frozen pipes that suffered after the extensive freeze the Bluegrass endured. "We've had that run of temperatures where it was like below freezing for like 15 days in a row and then below 10 for like five or six days. Our water system, you know it's huge, and we did really well up until probably a week ago," explains Mayor Happy Mobelini with the city of Hazard.
As the pipes began to thaw, small waterline breaks began happening, but when a major water line on Highway 476 broke, it depleted the tanks. Forcing the city to shut off several neighborhoods' water supply.
In total, the city saw nearly 80 water line breaks.
Mobelini says crews have been working around the clock for the last seven days to ensure all water breaks are fixed.
"We pump from the plant to main tanks and then from the tanks it goes to the customers. So you might live near the tank and can see a tank, but that doesn't mean you'll have water until I can get inside that tank," explains Tony Eversole, the city manager of Hazard.
Several residents reached out to LEX 18 concerning the water outages and wondered when they would get access to it again.
Eversole says Hazard Water Plant serves 29,730 residents and treats five million gallons in one day, which is 40 tanks total. The city has been pushing water toward Buckhorn and, on Monday afternoon, started running water toward Bulan and Pine Valley.
"If you have some outages dealing with the tanks, in order to fill the empty tanks with supplies in the area than you have to be able to have the tank behind it pushing water," explains Eversole.
Mobelini says some residents can expect their water to be returned Monday night and, at the latest, Wednesday morning.
Throughout these last six days, the city, along with Perry County, has been delivering water to both residents and its fire departments.
