Highway 41 near Interstate 5 is a busy pit stop for travelers heading up and down our state. "I just saw them making ranch fries and I was like, I have to eat them," said Gabriel Weil.
Weil and his friends stopped at Carl's Jr. in Kettleman City for a snack where they realized something was wrong. "I wanted to use the restroom but I go in there and they're closed," added Weil.
On Monday, signs were posted on the fast-food restaurant's door to alert customers bathrooms were off limits and soda machines were out of service.
Managers at the usually busy Bravo Farms store experienced similar issues. "We didn't have enough water to flush and there was no pressure," said John Kervorkian.
A manager at Denny's told Action News, the water pressure at the restaurant was so low, it looked like the tap was dripping so he was forced to close the restaurant for about five hours.
Hollis Mills also had no water at his room at the Best Western. "We started to check in and they said the water is down and everybody's water is down. And if we wanted to not check in and go somewhere else we could," said Mills. "We told them we already showered this week, we don't need another shower. We just need a bed."
A spokesperson for Kings County says a water booster pump busted on Saturday and caused the drop in pressure. "The Kettleman City area, the water has to go uphill to the commercial area and because we lost those pumps it wasn't able to push the water uphill," said Kings County Administrator Deb West.
The issue was fixed with a temporary pump at about 4 on Monday afternoon. Both drivers and business owners were so relieved after struggling through nearly 48 hours without much water.