Workers spent much of Friday filling a 20-foot hole in the turn lane on East Three Notch near Piggly Wiggly where a water leak kept City of Andalusia Utilities crews busy most of the week.

Joey Raybon, director of water and sewer operations, said the problem began when a contract installing fiber hit a water line.

“Water lines are usually four to five feet deep,” Raybon said. “This one was seventeen-and-a-half feet deep.”

Raybon said he believes the line was installed before the area was built up for road construction, which would account for the depth.

Raybon said because the line was so deep, L&K Contracting was called in to assist with the repair. City crews began working to repair the service on Monday night, and it was late Thursday before the line was repaired.

“Part of the problem is we didn’t want to turn the water off and interrupt service,” Raybon said. “We were trying to fight water and dig down to the problem simultaneously.”

There was a temporary disruption to service at two businesses on Thursday, he said, adding that City Utilities worked to keep that disruption to a minimum.

Raybon said he and other city employees consulted with ALDOT before beginning to fill the hole. Once the hole is filled, Raybon said, the lane will be reopened, and the fill materials will be given time to settle before the lane is re paved. Mid-day Friday, he said he hoped the hole would be filled by the end of the day.

He expressed his appreciation to employees in his department, the public works department, Andalusia Police Department and  L&K Contracting for their help.