Reporter: Rachel Schaerr | Videographer: Steven Smith
Lynchburg, VA - The cost of cleaning up a series of water main breaks this week is really adding up.
The Director of Water Resources, Tim Mitchell, estimates it'll cost less than $20,000 in overtime and the cost of hiring two contractors to help take care of the huge work load.
From the top of Lynchburg's water treatment plant, the clean-up happening down below is on the top of Mitchell's mind.
"Tomorrow we anticipate the boil water advisory will be lifted some time during the day," Mitchell said of the roughly 250 residents who are affected.
The pressure for crews mounted Wednesday as two new minor water breaks spilled over on Greenway Place and Riverside Drive.
Crews said they were nothing compared to eight the day before.
As they worked to repair it, a handful of neighbors were still without water. Ryan Andrews has it, but is scared to drink it.
"This morning I was pouring a glass and my brother was like, 'Don't drink it!'" Andrews said.
The city of Lynchburg is responsible for pumping 11 million gallons of water into homes and businesses everyday. And although aging infrastructure is not being blamed for the latest water main breaks, it has been in the past.
"We typically have about 120 to 140 breaks a year," explained Tim Mitchell. "That's several a week."
As crews clean up and move out of neighborhoods, they're leaving a new appreciation for city water in their wake.
"You don't usually realize how much you use and how much you use it every single day," said Andrews.
