KATY, TX (Covering Katy News) – Hundreds of residents in the Meadow Ridge subdivision and Exley Elementary School were without water for about seven hours Tuesday after contractors hired by Ezee Fiber broke a waterline while installing fiber-optic cable.
The neighborhood is near the intersection of Westheimer Parkway and South Mason Road.
According to Katy Independent School District spokesperson Craig Eichhorn, the water line break caused the cancellation of Exley's YMCA after-school program.
The water service interruption began at about 3:15 p.m. Repairs were completed, and water began flowing at about 10:30 p.m.
Covering Katy
In the light of day neighbors were able to see the extent of damage caused by the broken water pipe and the repairs that were needed.
A representative from Inframark stayed on the scene for an extensive amount of time, patiently answering questions from residents wondering when water service would be restored. His customer service put residents at ease in a subdivision where homeowners have been on edge since Ezee Fiber's contracted installation team arrived last week. Since Ezee Fiber's arrival, numerous sprinkler lines have been broken in a process that has not gone smoothly.
Complaints about the installation process began before Ezee Fiber's team came to Meadow Ridge. On Oct. 25, the Cinco Ranch Homeowners Association website published an open letter encouraging residents to report damage done by Ezee Fiber contractors after receiving complaints that they had damaged the HOA's landscape (see the letter below).
"Provide the location and photos of the issue," the letter to residents said.
Katy ISD Chief Communications Officer Andrea Grooms says Exley Elementary School will open on schedule Wednesday morning.
Meantime, the Ezee Fiber crews still have more work to complete in the Meadow Ridge subdivision, and neighbors are concerned that there could be more problems.
"None of us wanted them in our neighborhood. We don't want Ezee Fiber's product, but here they are, and there is nothing we can do," a frustrated Meadow Ridge resident said.
What to do after a water main break
Experts say those who lost water during the outage should take these steps now that service has been restored:
- Starting with cold water, run your faucets for at least a few minutes. You want to keep an eye on it to make sure the water turns clear.
- Follow this up by repeating the process with hot water to flush out your hot water tanks
- You may also want to run your dishwasher or washing machine empty a few times just to clear out any water lingering in them.