Water Line Break Has People In A Johnson City Neighborhood Scratching Their Heads

By Nate Morabito
Reporter / WJHL
Published: October 7, 2008

Some Tri-Cities homeowners awoke this morning to flooding in their front yards. It hasn’t rained in days in Johnson City, but along Forrest Avenue and Lowell Street, there is plenty of water.

As water gushed from underground this morning, Ann Lowe’s front yard became more and more swamped.

“I can’t even walk in my front yard,“ Lowe said. “Need a fishing pole,“ she joked.

The problem in her front yard wasn’t confined to just the ground. There was also something in the air.

“It smells like sewer,“ Lowe said.

For hours, Lowe worried the stream that stretched nearly two football fields through her neighborhood was something much worse than just water. She was sure it was a sewer line break.

“Now that I’ve smelled it, I smell it everywhere,“ Lowe said.

Imagine her shock, when Johnson City crews revealed it was only a six inch water line break. She couldn’t believe it. Crews used a camera to check the nearby sewer line and found no problems. So why the stench? City workers were not able to pinpoint the exact cause of the smell, but they say more than likely, it was just a coincidence. They say fumes coming from a nearby manhole are likely to blame.

Regardless, the water line is now fixed and it appears the smell is now gone. Lowe hopes it’s gone for good.

“I wouldn’t put it in a bottle and call it Chanel,“ Lowe said.

Minus the smell, Johnson City Water Sewer Services Director Tom Witherspoon says these type of water line breaks are very common. In fact, he says Johnson City crews respond to about one water line break every four days.