Residents encouraged to leave complex after water main break in Lexington

LEXINGTON, Tenn. — Residents in one area of Lexington are facing some major water issues.

Residents at Lexington Civic Apartments say they are having issues with their water as they face a main water break that feeds the entire complex.

“There’s a broken pipe underneath the parking lot. So they’re having to tear up the parking lot and it’s taking two crews to do it so they’re just now getting to work on it today, and it’s going to be another week before it’s done,” said Blake Woods, case manager for Henderson County Homeless Coalition.

Woods tells us what they’ve done to help in the meantime.

“Us and the emergency management have taken barrels down there and filled them up. We have two showers and a washer and dryer where people can come bathe and do their laundry,” said Woods.

One resident tells us how long they have been without water.

“For the last few days we’ve been without water — for like three days. Then here it is, Tuesday, and they’ve come up with a plan to bulldoze everything and get everything dug up so we don’t know how long it’s going to take after that,” said Ralph Gillenwater, apartment resident.

Apartment residents are encouraged to leave the area until they get the situation under control. Those who can’t leave could be stuck without water for up to three days or more once the the parking lot is dug up.

“A lot of people are less fortunate than myself. I can go to my son’s [house] but other people cannot,” said Gillenwater.

Gillenwater says this isn’t the first time this has happened. He tells us how they’ve been managing the water they receive.

“We are boiling water. We are having things brought in to us and flush water for the toilets and we have to boil water if we’re going to do dishes or something like that. It’s a nuisance,” said Gillenwater.

Many residents are depending on other sources of water from three shared barrels of water provided by Henderson County Homeless Coalition and generosity from family, friends and the community to bathe, wash and flush their toilets.

Many residents are pleading for volunteers to step up and donate resources as crews work to rectify the water break.

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