Flooding threatens water main that supplies most of New Hanover County

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— There are new concerns on the North Carolina coast after Hurricane Florence as a water main in danger of breaking could leave two-thirds of New Hanover County without water.

Water has been racing through U.S. Highway 421, with a road washout separating New Hanover and Pender counties.

The water is coming from the northeast Cape Fear River and Black River and has caused parts of U.S. 421 to cave in.

A water main in the area is responsible for two-thirds of the water supply to New Hanover County, so county officials are going to be keeping an eye on it.

“We’ve got a raw transmission line that we’re concerned about on 421, where there was a washout, which provides about two-thirds of the water for this area that we’re really concerned about right now, that we’re trying to shore up,” Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo said.

Pender County fire department washes out stranded fish on I-40

Both sides of U.S. 421 were blocked off Sunday evening and people are urged to stay away from the barricades.