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Summer thunderstorms could be the cause of several busted water mains throughout the Camellia City.

Greenville Water Department crews were out in force on Monday repairing water mains on Balaclava Drive and West Purdue Street. City workers closed Balaclava Drive from Fort Dale Road to Stoneroad Drive for nearly two hours Monday morning as repairs were made.

Michael Cook works for the City’s water department. He said several water mains around the city have recently been damaged.

“Lightening can damage water mains by hitting power poles,” he said. “The electric current will run down the pole and under the road, which causes cracks in water mains. It’s not a guarantee that it happened on Balaclava or West Purdue, but we’re pretty sure it did.”

Cook said if people in Greenville see a backhoe on a closed street chances are a water main is being fixed.

“It usually takes about two hours to dig down to the water line, fix it and cover the hole in road,” he concluded.