Jan 7, 2009 11:32 pm US/Eastern
Lauderdale Lakes Water Declared Safe To Drink
LAUDERDALE LAKES (CBS4) ―
The Broward Water & Waste Water Services declared the water in Lauderdale Lakes safe to drink and rescinded the boil water advisory. On Tuesday, as many as 40 homes in Lauderdale Lakes were left having to boil their water, after they woke up without water when a water main was ruptured.
The rupture happened as part of a road construction project that Florida Department of Transportation crews had been working on near Northwest 36th Terrace. FDOT workers were putting down drainage pipes earlier in the day.
Officials said the heavy equipment and vibrations may have caused part of the water main pipe to burst open hours after the workers left. Streets and yards were flooded for two to three blocks, and street construction was stopped.
Resident Ebb Mathis said his wife woke him up and both went outside to see what all the noise was about, explaining "We came out here and there was water from this area down the block all the way up to the stop sign." Mathis saw water creeping up to his driveway, too much water outside and not a drop inside.
"It's good to have the water back on," resident Rondon Forbes said. "It could have been worse. It could have been off for a couple of days."
For many of the residents in the area, it was bad enough waking up before two in the morning to the sounds of gushing water and sights of flooded streets. Once it was time to get ready for work and school, and that all-important shower, the news just got worse.
Ivy Forbes explained "It was uncomfortable," adding, "It was uncomfortable without the water because we weren't accustomed to it." She pointed to her dishes, none of which could be cleaned in time to feed her grandchildren who were getting ready for school.
Resident Marlayna Rollins told CBS4 that it was a bad start to her day, "I tried to use the bathroom, and there was a little water pressure but then it all stopped."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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