Charlotte Water begins replacing pipe after massive water main break in October

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte Water said Friday that it has started removing and replacing the water main pipe that was damaged during the Remount Road water main break in October.

Nearly half of Charlotte was impacted by the water main break on Oct. 18, including the airport, several neighborhoods and dozens of businesses. Residents were also under a boil water advisory for several days following the break.

“Charlotte Water is committed to providing clean, safe and reliable water service to customers in the Charlotte region,” said Charlotte Water Director Angela Charles. “While the events of the Oct. 18 water main break were extraordinary, Charlotte Water regularly performs routine maintenance and repairs across the water system each day.”

Crews expect work to take place over the next few weeks, since the repair is happening in a difficult location, officials said.

Charlotte Water said it has still not been able to determine the cause of the 36-inch pipe break. Charles said in October that the pipe that broke was installed in 1955. Its role is to transmit water from the plant to the service area, and that was why so many people were impacted.

At the time of the break, several Charlotte residents said they could not believe what they saw.

“I had no idea the effect that this kind of main water line would have on such a large scale of Charlotte,” one man told Channel 9. “The video is crazy, it quite literally looks like there is a massive wall of water coming from nowhere.”

Charlotte Water said about 6% of their system is at least 50 years old, and that the highest percentage (66%) was installed between 1990-2000. Once this pipe is replaced, crews will check the remaining pipe for possible issues.

Residents may experience some short disruptions to service during the repair, officials said.

(WATCH BELOW: ‘Massive wall of water’: Witness recalls capturing massive water main break on video)

'Massive wall of water': Witness recalls capturing massive water main break on video

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