CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A south Charlotte water line leak neighbors have complained about for almost three months will be fixed later this week, officials said Monday.
The leak is a slow but steady trickle of water coming from a three-fourths inch Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities water service line on Marie Roget Way in The Arbors in Ravencrest community.
"This has been going on for a minimum of eight to 10 weeks,” said neighbor Dick Delanhunty.
All that water for more than two months is enough to make the grass sink in when you stand on it.
"That water is going to be taking some of that dirt underneath and moving it and eventually what's going to happen is there's going to be a sinkhole—that's nature,” Delanhunty said.
Neighbors say Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities crews have come out twice. The first time was to look at it and the second time was to mark the yard.
CMU said the paint identifies utilities so they know what they might encounter when they dig to fix the line.
CMU crews work around the clock to repair water line leaks, but they prioritize what comes first based upon the size and impact of the leak to property.
CMU says they fix 100 leaks a month and constantly re-prioritize what's next.
"That's pure water that's going to waste and we're going to end up paying for it one way or the other,” Delanhunty said.
Two other water service lines had similar problems just a few blocks away. Crews already repaired those, but the grass and sidewalk have not been replaced.
Neighbors say they were told to expect those repairs soon.
Homeowners who think water line leaks have impacted their water bills can call 311.
