TOWNSEND — The city of Townsend is getting ready to bring its new water tower online in August, but first, it needs to be tested.
(WATCH: After delays, testing begins on Townsend's water system)
Testing was supposed to start at the beginning of June, but some obstacles pushed that back to a start date of June 29.
One obstacle—unavailability of parts.
“We had a well that was offline significantly longer than we expected because a piece of equipment we needed was backordered,” Townsend Mayor Vickie Rauser said.
Another obstacle—bacteria.
“We did have to do some treatment of the transmission line so that we make sure that’s clean,” Rauser said. “No one wants dirty water to come into the system.”
Bacteria was found in the transmission line and in one of the city’s three wells. Both were successfully treated, and Rauser said the cost for treatment was accounted for in the about $14 million the city budgeted for the water system project.
With both the well and the transmission line cleared, testing started on Monday. First up—ensuring the new water tower is leak-free.
Crews began filling the more than 1-million gallon water tank early Monday morning. After ensuring there are no leaks, water will be let back out. None of that water will enter the drinking water supply just yet, but people may notice changes during the testing process.
“Depending on when they are home and using their water, they might be seeing increased water pressures,” Rauser said.
Those pressure changes are temporary for now, until the new tank goes online. Before it can be put into use, the tank will be disinfected and tested to ensure water is clean before it services Townsend water customers.
“We will not be sending water into the distribution system and then saying ‘oh, by the way, you’re on a boil order now,’” Rauser said.
The water tower is just one part of the new water system. Rauser said also included in the project were new fire hydrants, upgrades to the city’s wells and technology, and more valves along the city’s water mains.
“In the event that work has to be done in a particular area in town, we won’t have to shut water off for six to eight blocks,” Rauser said. “We could shut it off for one to two, three to four, inconvenience fewer people.”
The new water tower is probably one of the most visible parts of the new water system. It’s expected to go online in August. When that happens, residents will see their water pressure rise from about 50-55 psi to between 71 and 77 psi.
After the new water system goes online, city officials recommend residents test their water pressure and continue to monitor their homes for leaks.
