Public works crews in Clarkesville and Demorest braved below freezing temperatures Saturday to keep water flowing to customers after two main water lines burst due to the cold. The breaks happened within hours of each others.
A main line burst around 4pm at the intersection of Hwy. 197 south and Hwy. 17 in front of Stoney’s Restaurant in Clarkesville. Crews had to dig down about 10 feet into the ground and worked well into the dark to fix it. They “throttled” the line to keep water flowing and prevent mud from entering into the line. Throttling allows for less disruption of service. Full service was restored within three hours.
Meanwhile, a frozen water pump caused problems for public works crews in Demorest as they worked to repair a water line break at Kmart on Historic Hwy. 441. Because the pump froze crews were unable to shut off the flow of water. Water spewed as they worked for several hours to repair the line.
One bright spot for the drenched Demorest crew…Mayor Rick Austin brought them hot coffee to help warm them up in the 29 degree weather.
