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West Columbia landlord warns of failing 2-inch water line serving 97 units; asks city to connect Central Drive to mains
Summary
Albert Burts Jr. told council that about 97 residences along a 0.2-mile stretch of Central Drive remain on a 2-inch galvanized supply line that has corroded and experienced three active breaks; he asked the city to connect the block to adjacent mains and staff agreed to review his materials.
Albert Burts Jr. told the council he represents property on Central Drive and said "we've got 97 apartments or houses down a 2 tenths of a mile section" currently served by a 2-inch galvanized water pipe that he says has corroded and fails to meet modern demand.
"We just don't have the water capacity now to serve our residents," Burts said, noting three active breaks in the line and describing an incident where a tenant's new washing machine would not run because of low pressure. He asked the city to connect Central Drive starting at Duke and connect through to Sunset to access larger mains.
City staff acknowledged receipt of a packet from Burts and agreed to meet with him and review the issue; the transcript indicates staff follow-up rather than an on-the-record directive or immediate funding commitment (SEG 576–SEG 599).
Why it matters: A small-diameter, corroded main serving nearly 100 residences could lead to repeated outages, property damage and reduced ability to install modern appliances. Connecting to an adjacent main would require engineering assessment and capital work.
Next steps on the record: Staff said they would review Burts' packet and work with him to investigate; the transcript does not include a timeline or funding plan for replacement or connection work (SEG 576–SEG 599).
Provenance: Burts' comments appear in the public-comment record (SEG 513–SEG 591).
