Greenville Neighbors: Fire Hydrant Has Been Gushing Water For Months

Neighbors in one Upstate community says a fire hydrant has been gushing for months. We took their concerns to Greenville Water System and the answers we got may surprise you.

By: Dianne Derby | WSPA-TV
Published: November 02, 2009

Developer and landlord William Tobias said the water in his Greenville neighborhood is downright dirty.

"If you take a gallon milk jug and fill it up and set it on the counter in the morning time you'll see dirt and stuff in the bottom of that milk jug," Tobias said.

He said in the last 3 months he's lost more than a dozen tenants who are fed up. He said Greenville Water System's solution has been to open a fire hydrant on East Bramlett Road to flush the lines. He said the problem is that water has been flowing strong for months.

"They've come down and closed it on up and the very next day I have to call them back and say, 'Our water's yellow, what's going on', said Tobias.

To give you an idea of what the water has done to the area if you look at the ground near the hydrant you will see the mud that has piled up over time. That water has also flowed into a nearby field and nearly 100 yards down East Bramlett Road.

Greenville Water System Manager Lyndon Stovall said he was not available to comment on camera but confirmed the hydrant had been open and closed over the last three months. Stovall said GWS did not keep record of exactly how much waster was flowing out but said it was a "minute" amount compared to the 60 million gallons GWS produces each day.

So 7 On Your Side did our own experiment with a 3 1/2 gallon bucket to figure out just how much could be wasted. In about 11 seconds it was overflowing. That adds up to more than 1200 gallons per hour and more than 30,000 per day. Alarming numbers to environmental advocates like John Tynan from Upstate Forever. In a statement he said, "If this activity is a symptom of an underlying problem, the GWS should fix the primary cause, cut costs by conserving this fire hydrant water, and provide clean and affordable water to area residents rather than wasting water to address a larger issue in the area."

Stovall said GWS hadn't come up with a permanent fix yet, leaving people in this community wondering how soon this problem really will be solved.

Stovall also said GWS is responsible for any costs associated with this standard industry practice. He said the monthly bills for customers in that area will not be affected.