OCILLA, Ga (WALB) — The city of Ocilla cut off water services to Irwin County Hospital on Monday over an unpaid water bill totaling over $20,000, officials said.

One hospital official said city workers entered hospital property and turned off a valve. Hospital employees noticed the water was cut off while performing daily services for patients.

“It infuriated me, to be quite honest with you, because this is a public safety issue,” Suzanne Estes, an Ocilla resident said. “When we got up here, we do know that there was one person in the ER and there was no water.”

In a statement, Ocilla Mayor Melvin D. Harper II said the city suspended domestic and portable water services after “numerous attempts over the past years and several additional months” to collect payment from the hospital were “unsuccessful.”

According to the city mayor, Irwin County Hospital owes $20,771.19 in unpaid water utility fees.

“Disconnections are never our preferred course of action; however, the city must apply its policies fairly and responsibly to ensure the continued operation and sustainability of essential services for all customers,” Harper said.

The mayor said emergency and fire-safety water lines remained connected and fully functional during the shutoff.

The hospital’s CEO declined to comment. Hospital officials said the shutoff was not related to frozen pipes or weather issues.

Residents said they decided to handle the issue themselves during Monday’s shutoff by bringing loads of bottled water while patients and employees waited for an answer.

“A lot of things they have to use in a hospital require water. Sterile water,” Estes said. “I was told yesterday by an employee there’s a machine that runs water and sterilizes it. Then they use it that way. That’s just creating an environment up here that’s not safe for anyone, especially a patient.”

Residents are asking the city and the hospital to come to an agreement soon. They said they will continue to provide water and any other resources to the hospital if the issue persists.

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