City says replacement pump could fix Milledgeville water crisis as residents post problems

A replacement pump should help water levels return to normal in Milledgeville this week after some residents have been without water since Tuesday due to a motor burning out on a water pump, officials said.

Water pressure dropped Tuesday afternoon after the city’s main pump failed Monday, leaving many without water throughout the day Wednesday, according to Milledgeville city manager Hank Griffeth. The city also issued a boil water advisory Thursday afternoon.

“The water levels rose in all the tanks Wednesday night, so there should be a lot of people with water again.” Griffeth said. “We have a replacement pump coming that should be operational by Friday as well, which will get levels back up near normal.”

The water crisis began Monday morning when the city’s main water pump, which can pump up to 5 million gallons a day, had a motor fail unexpectedly, according to Griffeth.

The city issued a water conservation advisory Monday afternoon. Water tanks around the city were close to full Monday morning, so the effects of the pump outage did not hit residents until Tuesday afternoon when water pressure fell and, in some places, stopped completely.

Griffeth did not have a number or estimate on how many residents lost water, but many Milledgeville locals posted about losing water on social media.

While a replacement pump will arrive Thursday afternoon and should be running no later than Friday, the repair of the motor on the main pump could take up to two weeks, Griffeth said.

The city also replaced valves to increase efficiency on the remaining pumps, which led to most residents getting access to water Thursday morning, according to Griffeth. Pressure remains an issue across town but should improve when the replacement pump arrives, he said.

Baldwin County Schools closed Tuesday and had virtual learning days Wednesday and Thursday due to the lack of water, they announced on social media. The district also canceled all after school activities. Some businesses in Milledgeville closed Wednesday as well.

The city gave out 864 cases of drinkable water Wednesday night and will continue distributing water Thursday at the County Government Center, Griffeth said. Fire departments around town are also open and giving away non-potable water for toilets and other needs.

“We understand how hard it is and we apologize for the inconvenience, we’re doing everything we can to fix it,” Griffeth said.

The crisis comes just four months after freezing temperatures in late December led to water problems in Milledgeville. A leak in a city-owned, two-mile-long pipe led to no water for several citizens.