For two weeks now, neighbors say water has been gushing down their south St. Louis street.
As they wait on the long list for repairs, people living on Fillmore Street in Holly Hills are dodging patches of ice and pools of water around their cars.
“I don't know how many gallons have gone down the street,” said Rose Burgherr, who has water running through part of her yard.
She called city officials several times to report a water main break and request repairs.
“They said 'We'll get to it when we can,' and that's about it.”
Repair crews have been very busy with broken water mains around the bi-state, after a deep freeze gripped St. Louis for days.
The City of St. Louis Water Division said the Fillmore Street issue is a water main leak – not a full break. At any given time, they've had about two or three dozen reported leaks to repair, and about a dozen ongoing water main breaks. Spokesman Vince Foggie said the city has eight crews working days and another eight crews working nights to get repairs done. They prioritize the worst cases to be fixed first and ask for patience until they can get to the rest.
Foggie said crews will get to the Fillmore leak as soon as possible.
“Personally, I just hope they get to it soon. Because we don't have any water pressure,” Burgherr said. “The pressure is very, very low.”
She also worries about the safety of older residents on the street. When temps remained below freezing, the water leak left sheets of ice along the street and car tires stuck.
Warmer weather this week melted most of the ice. But neighbors planned to keep checking with city officials to ensure their turn on the fix list is coming soon.
“We're trying to be vigilant about it,” Burgherr said.
