Asheville Experiences Water Main Break Causing Chaos at Shopping Plaza

Business Operations Disrupted Mutliple Vehicles Damaged

On the afternoon of Aug 8, 2024 a water main break created a disruptive situation at Asheville’s River Ridge Plaza, leading to a significant impact on several businesses and causing severe damage to numerous parked vehicles. Among the affected businesses was a notable nonprofit thrift shop – the Asheville Humane Thrift Store.

Businesses Caught off Guard by Water Main Break

Employees of the Asheville Humane Thrift Store expressed their surprise over the sudden incident. Caitlin Bingham, an employee at the Asheville Humane Thrift Store, shared their initial awakening to the situation, “It was around 4:30 p.m. … my co-worker actually came back kind of excited and asked me where I had parked my car that day … she showed me a video of what was going on, so I headed out front to see for myself.”

Damages and Immediate Response

Significant damage was inflicted on numerous vehicles caught in the line of the water main break. A patron of the plaza, who preferred to remain anonymous, was reported spending nearly an hour on the phone with their insurance company due to a broken windshield resultant of the water burst.

Local Fire officials and maintenance crews swiftly arrived on the scene to attend to the situation.

Underlying Factors and Impact on Businesses

Clay Chandler, the Public Information Officer for the City of Asheville Water Resources Department, discussed the causation of the incident. He stated, “One is the topography – some parts of the city are way higher in elevation then others are. The second thing being a lot of our underground water infrastructure … is older than 50 years old and it’s been in the ground for decades.”

The aftermath of the break left businesses in the vicinity without water with the estimated time of repair as yet unknown. Chandler continued, “I talked to the supervisor of the crew that’s there and he was on the scene earlier right after it happened and he did say that there’s some businesses are out of water in the area.”

The severity and duration of the impact on business operations will greatly depend on the depth of the water main break, as highlighted by Chandler, “It all depends. For example, this one, the break was fairly shallow, not very deep into the ground, just a couple of feet… It all depends on what part of town this is in, how deep the pipe is into the ground.”

Businesses Brace for Possibly More disruption

Consequent to the incident, businesses such as the Asheville Humane Thrift Store have begun making contingency plans, expressing fears of ongoing water issues. “We filled up our bucket just in case we wouldn’t have water. My boss went and bought a whole bunch of gallons of water just in case,” shared Bingham, a stance reflective of other businesses within the mall plaza.