Residents of the Woodbridge subdivision on Josh Deal Road in southern Bulloch County were demanding answers Monday after going without water for almost two days, while the owner of the company managing the subdivision's water system called the outage "an act of God."

The water system was up and running Monday afternoon, but Lindsay Martin, owner of MSO Water Systems, which manages the subdivision's water system, said residents should "boil the water for a day or so" before consuming to be sure of its safety.

Some customers claim the water flow has been spotty over the past several months, with unexpected and unexplained outages and weak water pressure. They claim calls to MSO Water Systems are ineffective and unsatisfactory, with poor communication between customers and the business.

Martin said Monday that it's impossible to predict when the water system breaks down, and each time a customer reports problems with the water, crews immediately respond to repair them.

"We have a 24-hour answering service," he said. "We don't know about a problem until someone reports it."

Sunday morning, Candace Tucker found herself without water.

"Once again, our water went out, without any prior and/or post notification from MSO. We noticed our water was out at 9 a.m. and promptly called on the hour, practically every hour, until it finally was restored at 7:57 p.m.," she said.

Martin said the subdivision's wells - two of them - were struck by lightning. Then, after one damaged pump was replaced with a new one, the water flow went out once again, this time because the brand new pump and motor "burned up" due to unknown reasons.

Both he and subdivision developer Joey Coty said they worked all day Sunday and Monday to correct the problem. Coty said Georgia Power was called to the scene to try to help figure out the reason for the second outage, but water was restored around 3 p.m. Monday.

Tucker said she is hopeful the problem is fixed, but she said the water issues aren't new.

"Since January we have now been without water on some basis six times," she said. "We have never received a phone call, personal visit or letter referring to the on-going problem with our water system. Yesterday was the straw that broke this mama's back."

It rained Sunday, and her husband collected rainwater to fill toilet tanks to flush accumulated waste.

"After our water was restored, we each took hurried showers and baths, brushed our teeth, used the toilets normally, loaded the dishwasher with breakfast plates and I was able to complete two loads of laundry," she said. "This morning when my husband woke for work at 5 a.m. to take a shower, we once again had no water. No phone call, personal visit or letter on my front door."

She called MSO and left another message, she said,

Martin explained Monday that his office was swamped with calls from irritated customers while he and work crews struggled to find out what was causing the problem. The initial cause Sunday was lighting strikes, he said.

"We've been running around like chickens with our heads cut off," he said. "You can't control an act of God."

Another resident of the subdivision, Susan DeBonis, said she is equally frustrated over what she considers a lack of communication about the water problems

"They have a record of my complaints for six to nine months," she said Monday.

Water outages lasted up to five hours at a time, she said, and "got to a point they (outages) were regular, and water flow was very erratic."

DeBonis said that when she called MSO and left a message for their "emergency" employee to call, she never received a call back.

"Then the office said they never had a record of my calling," she said.

She suggested that there may be a breakdown in communication through the answering service that MSO uses.

Martin said Monday that his messaging system is in working order and that complaints about no water are handled immediately upon his receiving them.

Water systems are legally required to be tested routinely by the Environmental Protection Division. Reports and findings by the EPD are available on MSO Water's website, www.msowater.com.

DeBonis also said she doesn't believe lightning caused all the problems with the Woodbridge subdivision's water supply.

"We didn't have any lightning strikes around here," she said. "We would have heard them. We've been told they burned up a third pump but haven't been called to tell anyone about the water."

Coty said he understands the inconvenience, "but we've been on it as hard as we can. Both wells were struck by lighting, and both wells went down at the same time."

Tucker also said she heard no lighting strike near her home, and her family was home during the weekend.

"We're not deaf. We would have heard a lightning strike," she said.

Coty spoke of working on the issue Sunday, believing it was repaired, then learning that the newly installed pump and motor had burned up overnight, leaving residents without water for a second day.

"I know it is frustrating," he said. "I promise you, I'm just as frustrated. We don't have any answers at this minute" about why the newly installed pump failed. "We can't wave a magic wand and make it all better. I wish I could."

Both Tucker and DeBonis said they feel that better communication with customers would improve relations between MSO and its clients.

"They have horrible customer service," Tucker said. "They are neither proactive nor reactive to the situation."

Martin insisted Monday that his office responds to complaints as they are received and addresses water concerns as quickly as possible.

He also said lightning strikes are common reasons for well pumps to fail. He added that he has had similar issues at the Lake Collins community north of Portal as well as several other properties that he owns or manages.

"You just can't control an act of God," he said.

Holli Deal Saxon may be reached at (912) 489-9414.