Underground waterline break leaves SW Roanoke residents without water, cancels school

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) — Residents in southwest Roanoke woke up to dry taps Friday morning, forcing families to adjust their routines and deal with another day of canceled school.

For Monica Brooks, the lack of running water immediately changed her morning plans.

“It’s been a little hectic because I get up early in the morning, so I typically need to take a quick shower,” Brooks said. “I had to go back to the old school of just boiling water and making sure that the kids had a supply.”

Brooks said neighbors quickly began checking in with one another, unsure whether the problem was isolated to their homes or something more widespread.

“Many neighbors were concerned, thinking that the pipes were frozen,” she said. “They were trying to gauge what exactly was going on, if it was just their home or if it was someone else.”

The Western Virginia Water Authority said an underground waterline break impacted neighborhoods in the Raleigh Court area of southwest Roanoke. Crews say locating the break took longer than usual due to challenging conditions.

“In our area, sometimes when we have a break, the water doesn’t surface,” said Sarah Baumgardner, director of public relations for the Western Virginia Water Authority. “It actually goes underground, and that makes it hard to find. And it’s compounded by snow on the ground.”

More than 30 employees used traditional investigative methods along with thermal imaging technology on a drone to locate the break on Chesterfield Street.

While repairs are now underway, water officials say residents should prepare for the possibility of more disruptions as temperatures rise.

“As it starts to warm up, the ground’s going to thaw,” Baumgardner said. “That shifting puts stress on buried water lines, and that can increase the number of breaks that we would see.”

Back at home, Brooks said preparation is now top of mind for her family.

“I may be calling some friends to take a shower at their home,” she said. “But having water and having a supply so that we can take care of whatever is needed is really important.”

The Western Virginia Water Authority encourages residents to keep an emergency supply of water on hand and says crews will continue monitoring the system closely as weather conditions change.

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