WENTZVILLE, Mo. (First Alert 4) – Heather Johns moved to the Harvest subdivision in Wentzville in September looking for a family-oriented community.
“We wanted to live in a neighborhood where our kids could grow up and make memories,” she said.
This winter has left a chilling effect on the family.
Johns said there have been at least three instances since December where she has lost either her gas heat or hot water.
The most recent instance came Thursday night.
“Last night after dinner, I was doing the dishes and realized I didn’t have any hot water,” she recalled. “Went downstairs the pilot light was out on our hot water heater so we called Spire and they came out, do whatever they do and turned our hot water back on.”
She is not the only one in the subdivision experiencing problems.
“We have a toddler at home, we go to get her in the bath and the water is just freezing cold,” said Megan Catapang. “It’s just kind of definitely frustrating and you never know when you’re going to take a shower and it’s just going to be freezing cold.”
One neighbor told First Alert 4 since moving in she has lost utilities five times since moving in: sometimes just gas heat, sometimes hot water or on occasion, both.
Residents told us most people have only been living in the subdivision, which was built my McBride homes, for six months or less.
Johns said what is most frustrating is the lack of answers from McBride and Spire gas.
“This is not something you’d expect to happen, especially in a brand new subdivision,” she said.
First Alert 4 reached out to McBride Homes which referred us to Spire.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Spire said:
To date, our investigation has revealed that due to unknown causes, water has entered the natural gas main to the Harvest community. To address this, our crews need to pinpoint the exact location of the water. Isolating the exact location of the water can be a complicated process, as water moves throughout the system. And during colder temperatures, the water can cause freezing of the service line – causing service outages. While we investigate and identify exactly where the water is located, we want residents in the neighborhood to know we are working diligently to resolve the issue and appreciate their patience.
Johns said she is hoping for a speedy fix to gain some piece of mind.
“Fix it so we have proper, warm water, we have proper heat,” she said.
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