Thousands in Lampasas County expected to be without water Friday as utility works to repair ruptured water line

LAMPASAS COUNTY, Texas (KWTX) - A water main break in Kempner is putting thousands of residents under stage five water restrictions, and on Friday morning, residents were sent an alert stating “water loss is proving to be more widespread than anticipated.”

The alert from the Kempner Water Supply Corporation further states, “We will have to turn off the entire system that supplies every single meter in our system in order to get this concrete line repaired quickly. We apologize for any inconvenience. Turn off your water heaters at the breaker.”

Kempner residents like Alex Cannon told KWTX they are preparing by loading up on bottled water. Late Thursday, they were also filling up bathtubs with water, Cannon said.

He’s lived here for years, and says water problems aren’t surprising. But having no water at all for an extended period of time - he says that’s a first for him.

“It’s not our first issue with Kempner Water Supply, but it’s our first time being out of water for one day or longer. We don’t know yet,” Cannon explained.

The Kempner Water Supply Corporation is responsible for feeding water to thousands of people, including the entire city of Lampasas.

“We were contacted by Kempner Water Supply with a leak and it was noted that it is our main water line that provides the city of Lampasas with water,” said Ryan Ward, the assistant city manager of Lampasas, on Thursday.

And for the last 24 hours, “They’re still excavating trying to get down to the actual concern whether that be a break or a leak,” Ward says.

Once they find the problem, the plan is to turn the water off. That will cause the city of Lampasas to resort to the water stored in their tanks. They say if people aren’t conscious about usage, it may not last more than 24 hours.

“If folks are really conservative and really diligent and only use it when they really need it, it could extend that out a little longer,” Ward says.

There is no timeline on when the issue will be resolved, but in the meantime residents are adapting the best they can.

“We don’t even know what the measures are, we’re just gonna get as much water as we can for the next few days. I’m sure they’re going to rectify it quickly,” says Cannon.

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