Water Main Break Repairs
Information on Treatment and Discoloration
We appreciate your patience as we continue to repair the water main line break serving Eagle Canyon along US-36. The situation has spurred several questions about water quality and appearance. After the water line break was isolated, valves were turned off to the broken line and multiple fire hydrants at the higher elevations in town were opened to increase the pressure needed to deliver water uphill. All of these actions can cause water discoloration when sediments are stirred up due to pressure changes.
The discoloration is most often from iron and manganese elements that have settled to the bottom of the water pipes. Because the water mains are pressurized, a disturbance of any kind can stir up sediments. The entire water system from our pump station east of Town to our water storage tank west of Town was stirred up, while the tank was refilled to get water pressure back up town-wide. It can take a few days for the smaller particles to settle back down leaving the water discolored until they do. It is best to run your cold water faucets until the water runs clear. The discolored water is not harmful to use, though it may stain laundry.
You may also have questions about water quality after such an event. Immediately following the break, the town began Chlorine Residual testing. A chlorine level of 0.5 mg/liter of free chlorine will be enough residual to maintain the quality of water through the distribution network. The tests completed at each site on Tuesday, immediately following the water line break, all showed between .8 and 1.2 mg/liter.
The presence of chlorine residual in drinking water indicates that: 1) a sufficient amount of chlorine was added initially to the water to inactivate the bacteria and some viruses that can cause diarrhea disease; and, 2) the water is protected from any contamination during storage. The presence of free residual chlorine in drinking water is correlated with the absence of disease-causing organisms and thus is a measure of the potability of water.
In addition, another sample was taken at each location and sent to a laboratory for what is called a Bac-T test, a standard test that checks for several different groups of bacteria of concern. All the tests came back clear, with the result of None Present, demonstrating that there were no bacteria of concern in the water. As noted above, the water has passed each of the State-mandated tests. No boil orders were required.
Once the repair is made for the Eagle Canyon line and water is restored, public works staff will follow the same process to ensure the safety of the water.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
|
|
|
|
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share via Email
