Water tower springs a leak

Thousands of gallons of water draining out of the Gaffney Board of Public Works' water tower on West Montgomery Street forced the temporary closure of the street Saturday afternoon while work crews scrambled to stop the leak. Luckily, no one lost water service as the tank already had been out of service for maintenance. A river of water cascading down West Montgomery Street forced the Gaffney Board of Public Works (BPW) and the Gaffney Police Department to temporarily close the street Saturday until a major water leak could be repaired.

The BPW water tower near Irene Park began draining out, and sending water into the street, when a 90-degree fitting on a main water pipe blew out near the base of the tower.

A crew of BPW employees who slogged through the water ultimately was able to stop the flow by closing a water main leading to the tower, but not before likely thousands of gallons flowed down the street.

Despite some initial concerns the situation might impact water service, no residents went without water.

"They didn't lose service at all," confirmed Donnie Hardin, general manager of the BPW.

He said the water tank had been taken out of service for some maintenance and the leak sprang as the tower was being put back into service. At most, he said, some residents in the immediate area of the tower might have noticed lower-than-normal water pressure while the repair was being made.