One of my favorite things about being the Mayor of Mocksville has been my newfound appreciation for our water and sewer infrastructure. My wife and children laugh when someone asks me about our new water plant or sewer plant improvements, and I light up like a Christmas tree. I am amazed at the miles of pipe, the number of valves in the system, the water towers that aid in pressure, and the safety cutoffs put in place throughout the system. Most people never even consider all that goes into providing these essential services until there is a failure in the system.
We had one of those failures back in late January of 2025. A NCDOT subcontractor putting in a stoplight pole at Circle K (at the intersection of Highway 64 and Highway 601) hit a 12-inch water line. When he drilled into the pipe, the pressure on the line split the pipe significantly and caused a large section of the pipe to need replacing. This was no small project. The water flooding into the intersection caused a huge traffic issue and the water had to be pumped off to begin repairing the line. Because there was a gas line above the broken pipe, extreme care had to be taken during the digging process. Brian Moore and the Town of Mocksville Public Works crew worked around the clock until the repairs were completed. We appreciate their efforts along with assistance from Davie County Public Works, the EMS team, and the Mocksville Fire Department. It was certainly a team effort to get things operational again.
Even after the repairs, we still had a “Boil Water Advisory” for those using the Town of Mocksville water services. Anytime a line is broken in the system there is the possibility of contaminants entering the water supply. Municipalities maintaining water systems are required by the State to inform their customers to boil water to kill any contaminants until the water has been tested over a predetermined period and deemed free of any bacteria.
The Town of Mocksville offers a service called Hyper-Reach which allows us to contact anyone who has signed up for the service for any emergency, weather notification, or public health alert. The Hyper-Reach service is free, but customers have to sign up to receive the notification. You can sign up at www.hyper-reach.com/ncdaviesignup.html or by calling 336-477-2478. We can put notifications on the town website and the town’s Facebook page but the only way we can contact you directly is through the Hyper-Reach system.
There was some confusion during this event as to which citizens were on the town’s water system versus the county’s system. If you receive a water bill from the Town of Mocksville, you are a town water user. Fortunately, emergencies like this don’t occur very often. This event did reveal some of the weak points in the line of communication with our residents. We are always striving to improve our infrastructure as well as our communications with the citizens of the town. You can do your part by checking Mocksville’s website and social media sites regularly and by signing up for Hyper-Reach so you’ll be aware of future events.
