GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) – Water was restored early Thursday morning for people who live near Long Hill Street in Greenville after a water main burst.

Greenville residents reached out to 7NEWS Wednesday evening frustrated after a water main break flooded yards and nearby homes.

“Brand new landscaping, brand new patio furniture; it’s flooding my air conditioning unit. I have a river in my backyard,” said a Greenville resident, as she recorded some of the damage outside of her home.

It was a clear day with no flood-causing rain in the forecast. Neighbors said it caught them off-guard when water slowly began to amass outside of their homes.

“We noticed water coming up out of the street in a couple of places,” a neighbor explained.

It quickly turned into a much larger issue.

“It was just water gushing, and there’s nothing you can do but watch it. I was out in my rain boots trying to pick up patio furniture and save what I could out there from getting damaged and stained from the red mud,” the neighbor said.

According to Greenville Water, crews responded shortly after 8 p.m. after an 8-inch cast iron pipe burst beneath Long Hill Street.

“I called the water company. He [another neighbor] said he was calling the water company. The neighbors on the back side of us called the water company and then somebody called the fire department,” the neighbor said.

The impact quickly flowed downhill into the yards of homes on Pleasant Ridge Avenue and Deoyley Avenue.

“There was water running down both sides of the road; lots of water and mud and everything,” said Ricky Anderson, neighbor. “She [his mother] was kind of worried about it flooding the house and other areas of the neighborhood.” 

Officials said water was shut off in the area for several hours as crews made repairs.

“At three o’clock in the morning they had city workers down there running the fire hydrant and cleaning up some of the mud,” said Anderson.

“Backhoes, jackhammers, and dump trucks all showed up,” explained another neighbor.

Greenville Water said service was restored around 1 a.m., however, the cleanup continued overnight and throughout much of the day Thursday.

Crews could be seen washing away mounds of mud and cleaning out nearby storm drains.

“He [Greenville Water employee] said we are going to clean this up as much as we can today,” explained a neighbor. “I’m happy that they’re putting forth the effort to do that.”

“They work hard just like we all do and try and protect and keep the neighborhood safe so kudos to them,” said Anderson.

Officials said Greenville Water averages two breaks per 100 miles of pipe per year. That’s 75% lower than the national average.

According to Greenville Water, the burst could have been caused by underground cabling conducted in the area, ground movement, or the main expansion and contracting from recent temperature variations.

To report a water emergency, Greenville Water said to call (864) 241-6000.