Late Thursday night, a resident on Stocker Street, a residential area on a hill near Gypsy Hill Park, heard running water behind their house.
Staunton Public Works staff arrived on the scene.
“So they got out there and figured out what they were dealing with,” Staunton Engagement & Communications Manager Josh Knight said of what turned out to be a water main break that created a Boil Water Advisory for the Queen City until Monday morning.
Public Works staff found a leak in a 16-inch diameter cast iron water pipe underground.
“The pressure was so great that it almost self excavated,” Knight said of the water leak.
Staff replaced that section of the pipe. Cast iron is “typical of pipes in that area and of that era,” Knight said.
Other city staff set in motion the city’s notification system to residents that city water was not safe to drink until further notice. Knight said that the Staunton alert message sent texts and calls to registered phone numbers, then the Boil Water Advisory was posted on the city’s website, which then also was sent out in the city’s newsletter to 2,000 email subscribers, and a post was shared on the city’s Facebook page, which was shared 600 times.
Knight said that in such a situation the city sends notifications in multiple ways because it is important that residents find out what is going on. He said he apologizes if some residents were frustrated about how they found out about the advisory, but it was important that they did find out either by text alert, email or social media.
“I think we have an opportunity now since this happened,” Knight said of city staff planning to have a conversation about the best way to notify residents.
Staunton residents are encouraged to sign up for text alerts online. Residents need not worry that they will receive a lot of text alerts from the city. Knight began his position with the city in January 2024, and the water main break on Thursday night was the first time it was used since he moved to Staunton.
“We’ll continue to try to spread the word in as many ways as possible,” Knight said.
In the meantime, city staff will hold a debrief with the Virginia Department of Health, which sets the guidelines for boil water advisories, and review how the city responded, the timeline of the event and how the city might be more efficient next time.
“It was a situation and you’re going to take every opportunity [to learn from it],” Knight said.
However, the vast majority of water main breaks do not lead to boil water advisories for municipalities.
Praise goes to city staff who responded to the water leak late Thursday night, who continued to monitor the situation throughout the weekend and who tested the city’s water until it was safe for residents to drink again.
The community also responded by working together to volunteer to hand out free water, including Honor Society students. Knight said that some community members collected water to take to residents who were not able to leave their homes and obtain free water.
“It’s awesome to see everyone rise to the occasion,” Knight said of the community response.
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Rebecca Barnabi
