Water tower work puts pressure on city's pipes

Recent water issues left New Rockford residents high and dry after a series of water main breaks and a pump malfunction. The majority of these breaks occurred after crews drained the water tower for interior work on Tuesday, May 27.

Neither the work crews or city personnel expected that draining the tower would pose a threat to the water supply. The city water system has a backup in place at the water treatment plant which pressurizes the city's water supply.

These pumps are typically used to fill the water tower, and are capable of pressurizing the system to a greater pressure than the water tower normally would. This design allows the pumps to increase water flow in the distribution system during times of increased water needs... like in the event of a fire, or during the hot days of summer.

In the event that the water tower is drained, these pumps become a single source of pressure for the water system. In order to control the water pressure, a pressure relief valve is needed. The city did indeed have a pressure relief valve correctly installed, however it failed to work. The malfunction resulted in a sudden increase of pressure in the distribution system, which caused four cast iron pipes to burst, leaving the majority of town without water.

Wade Senger of Interstate Engineering explained that this issue illustrates how important it is that these old water mains are replaced. Considering the state of the pipes still in place, there remains a chance other pipes could burst as they continue the project. Senger explained that although this is a possibility, they are closely monitoring the pressure. If another break occurs, crews will work quickly to repair the break so that residents do not have to go without water for too long.

Work on the water tower is expected to last eight weeks. During this time work crews will sandblast and paint the inside and outside of the tower. Also safety repairs will take place to upgrade the current condition of the old tower. Ladders, catwalks and access hatches are just some of the things slated to be updated.

Although a sudden shortage of water may be alarming, it is not something to be worried about as workers are constantly working hard to ensure that any unplanned events can be resolved ASAP.

Residents are urged to conserve water while the water tower is under construction. Some steps to take include refraining from watering lawns

For up to date information on where crews are working and what you might encounter on those streets, please go to http://www.interstateeng.com/newrockford/. The interactive map highlights the progress throughout the city and alerts residents and travelers as to where activity is imminent or already underway.