A Water Main Leak Leaves Residents Questioning City Response Time

Residents on Myrtle St. in Shreveport woke up to a muddy mess today after a city water main broke flooding the street with water Sunday. A number of residents say they called the water department`s 24 hour emergency hotline repeatedly before they got a response. Donald Washington still can`t believe running water nearly destroyed his front yard. A 16 inch line at the corner of Myrtle & Norma St. broke Sunday, flooding the entire block. But, after hours of leaking, a KTAL news crew was first on the scene. "It`s just amazing that Channel 6 can get here in 30 minutes and the city hasn`t," Washington said on Sunday. Lottie Carter, Washington`s neighbor, claims she called the water department`s emergency hotline 3 times before anyone picked up the phone. "It says 24 hour call line and I thought somebody should have been at the desk," Carter said. However, the Dept. of Operational Services says that was not the case. There were 30 major main breaks in Shreveport over the weekend, keeping crews busier than usual. "If we had 3 or 4 lines breaks at the same time, the phonelines might be busy," Mike Strong, Director of Shreveport Operational Services, said. Strong says his crews did respond to the Myrtle St. leak soon after the call came in. "Just because people do not see us in their area working on the main, doesn`t mean our valve crews aren`t valving down the line," he said. The water main is now under control and the city has hired a contractor to finish the repairs. Still, Myrtle St. residents wonder if some of the damage could have been avoided. Reported by Alexis Wiley, awiley@ktalnews.tv