‘Like a wrecking ball’: Concerns spread in Columbia after internet company causes gas, water leaks

A new internet service provider promised to bring faster internet and better performance to Columbia. But the company has hit a snag, as well as several gas lines and water mains across Columbia.

The Columbia Fire Department has ordered the fiber optic internet company Lumos to halt all of its work in the city of Columbia, following half a dozen gas leaks reported in Columbia’s Elmwood Park neighborhood, caused by the company’s subcontractors digging to lay cable.

The company has also hit at least two 6-inch water mains in different locations in the city: one on Chevis Road in the South Kilbourne neighborhood, and another behind the Veterans Affairs hospital off Garners Ferry Road, Columbia officials confirmed.

The stop work order was issued Tuesday, Nov. 14. Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins said the company won’t be permitted to start work again until it submits detailed plans for how it will proceed to avoid future incidents.

Gas leaks

Elmwood Park is a bit torn up. Freshly-dug dirt lines parts of the road, water is stagnant in some streets. But the internet service company Lumos is gone, for now.

“They came in like a wrecking ball,” said John Wilkinson, president of the Elmwood Park Neighborhood Association. “They did not make a good first impression here.”

Before trucks with work crews started rolling through the neighborhood, Lumos put purple yard flags around Elmwood Park and other parts of Columbia to inform residents that the company would be doing work in the area in the near future.

“Internet built for the future is almost here,” the purple, palm-sized cards boasted.

“Lumos will begin construction soon, bringing the fastest 100% Fiber Optic Internet to your neighborhood. We’re all about speed, so we’ll be out of your way as soon as possible,” the card also noted.

When they saw the cards, Wilkinson said he and his neighbors anticipated some disruption, which is typical of any utility work.

When the company hit the first gas line, Wilkinson didn’t think much of it. Things happen.

But when the problems, which also included struck water lines, began piling up, residents got worried. On Monday, crews working for Lumos hit a gas line that caused traffic on the busy Elmwood Avenue to be redirected for nearly two hours, according to notices issued Monday by the Columbia Fire Department.

Some residents in Elmwood Park were temporarily evacuated from their homes or barred from reentering them while fire crews addressed the damage to gas lines in the neighborhood this week.

Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins told The State at least six gas leaks were reported in that neighborhood in the last few weeks due to work being done by Lumos.

“We know accidents happen,” Jenkins said, “but for that many, that quickly, just no.”

Jenkins said it’s not uncommon for leaks to happen when utility work is being performed. Not every gas line in the city is properly marked, for example. But he said the fire department has never experienced a situation in which one company caused so many leaks in such a short time frame.

Hazmat crews were going into Elmwood Park Friday to scan for any missed gas leaks. Jenkins said he hopes those crews will help give affected residents more peace of mind.

Broken water mains

Jordan Lehr works from home, so he heard the exact moment crews broke a 6-inch water main outside of his Chevis Street home last Wednesday, Nov. 8.

“I heard yelling, and there’s two guys watching water just gushing,” Lehr recalled.

Lumos’ workers broke another 6-inch water main behind the Veterans Affairs Medical Center during its recent work, according to Columbia officials. There have also been numerous smaller water line breaks in parts of the city as a result of Lumos’ work.

When he first saw the broken water line, Lehr immediately began worrying for his house. He worried the crews might also have hit a gas line, and he also worried that his property might flood.

Crews came to fix the water main break outside of Lehr’s home that day, working into the night. But Lehr said there is still significant damage to the road that needs to be repaired.

“It’s tough enough to maintain the roads. We don’t need to be creating more work for city employees,” Lehr said.

Lehr added that he was excited to see another internet provider coming to the area and that he still wants to give Lumos a chance. He works from home and could benefit from faster internet, after all.

Wilkinson said something similar, noting that it’s good to have more competition between internet providers in Columbia but that he doesn’t feel Lumos has made a good impression.

Lumos announced in late September that it had received the proper franchise agreements with Columbia, West Columbia and Irmo to start laying 1,200 miles of fiber optic cable between Richland and Lexington counties. The company promised to invest $100 million between the two counties, while expanding “high-speed internet access to many unserved and underserved residents and (providing) an added boost to economic development in the area,” the company declared in a press release Sept. 27.

The company has been working in various Columbia neighborhoods in recent weeks. Lumos is active in North Carolina and Virginia, in addition to expanding into South Carolina. The company has also announced a $100 million investment in Greenville County.

Lumos declined to make its local construction manager available for an interview with The State. Instead, a spokesperson sent a short statement regarding the damage in Elmwood Park.

“We are aware of the damages in the Elmwood Park Community of Columbia and are working closely with city officials and local utility companies to resolve any outstanding issues,” the statement reads. “Our processes, incident tracking, and safety commitments exceed required regulations. We have a path forward in partnership with local officials and are hopeful that we’ll be back to work soon - bringing much-needed fiber-optic internet access to the Columbia region.”

Jenkins could not say when or if Lumos would be permitted to resume work in Columbia.

“I would like to see their plans going forward, and then we’ll make a decision on whether we’re going to lift (the stop work order) or not,” Jenkins said.