The Charleston Water System suffered a catastrophic failure of a water main which shut down most water in the Downtown, James Island, and Folly Beach areas. It seems the water’s back up now, but a boil water advisory is likely. Most restaurants are having real issues serving food right now. What a disaster for business, especially on the eve of the Cooper River Bridge Run, when a crapload of tourists are here wanting to eat.

I was at a bar and was in desperate need of a restroom. Sucked I couldn’t use one there. What a way to cut a night short…sigh.

Here’s what we know:

• The primary, 48-inch water main directly out of the treatment plant in Hanahan busted over Turkey Creek. This is generally the backbone of the Charleston Water System. The backbone, in essence, broke. And when the backbone breaks, panic ensues.
• Water was rerouted through redundant pipes throughout the system. Pressure should be coming back to normal now.
• A boil water advisory was issued for Charleston, et. al. until sampling is performed. Mt. Pleasant and other wholesale customers are not affected – generally, if Charleston Water bills you directly or you’ve experienced any type of pressure problem this evening, you should boil your water for the time being.
• The Bridge Run is still on – it’s sponsored by Aquafina. Good thinking on their part.
• Most hospitals (Charleston Memorial a notable exception) have adequate, functioning water supplies.

Watching people around here react to things like this always is a hoot. You have the people crowding the grocery stores in a panic much like the Apocalypse, and then you have folks like this, just chillin’.

Here’s some screen grabs and a photograph from this evening:

A sign on the outside of T-Bonz in West Ashley, as my friend Tom and I were desperately searching for food:

If you have more pictures, please post a comment!