LIVE OAK, Texas – A neighborhood in Live Oak has been grappling with a major water crisis as a busted water pipe remains unfixed for the fifth consecutive day.
Homeowners said they are not only concerned about the break but also frustrated after not getting a solid answer from the City of Live Oak or San Antonio Water System as to who is in charge of repairs.
Long-time Live Oak residents are confused about why no one has done anything to fix the water pipe rupture flowing since Saturday morning.
“So here we are with this mess, water and mud just streaming down to the creek over there and right now, with this drought losing all this water,” said Betty Stewart, a homeowner.
Stewart said she and other neighbors have tried calling the city of Live Oak numerous times. She said they’ve come out, but that’s about it.
“They sit in their truck. I saw them yesterday, too, when I was leaving. They came right here. They just sat there and just drive off. I was in the corner. I thought they were going to do something about it. No, still there. Still a big hole with a bigger mess,” said Stewart.
Aside from the thousands of gallons of water wasted, Stewart said she’s concerned for the safety of the children who live and play on the street.
“If something happens to the kids, that’ll be the next scene that you will be coming to and checking on that too. So, yeah, it needs to be fixed. Somebody needs to do it,” said Stewart.
KSAT went to the City of Live Oak Public Works Department to learn who is responsible for fixing the rupture and why the problem hasn’t been addressed. We were told streets south of Topperwein in Live Oak are under SAWS jurisdiction.
According to the SAWS, they are experiencing a high number of main breaks because of the heat and dry conditions. Currently, over 200 water leaks have been reported.
We reached out to SAWS, which says it has upgraded the water pipe break to a priority level one and will have crews working on repairs.
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