Expectations:
The board would like to present some scenarios on what may occur as the city, and our community, move into warmer weather so that frustrations are minimized due to assumed expectations. At this time no one, including the city, knows exactly why the Waterhill community doesn’t have sufficient water pressure in order to supply each unit with water. This is primarily because it hasn’t been truly investigated due to the current focus being on addressing the power issues. Our water pressure issues could be one or all of the following:
- City water pumping stations are out of commission due to the freezing temperatures or lack of power. If this is the case we may still be out of water into the warmer days while the down water pumps are brought back online.
- There could be a number water main breaks throughout the city resulting in the low water pressure. Depending on the number of breaks and the complexity of the repair this could be another scenario where the community is out of water despite the presence of warmer temperatures.
- The city may have made some adjustments to the pumping stations in order to redirect sufficient water pressure to hospitals and Fire departments.
- Low pressure could be a result of too many homes dripping their pipes to prevent freezing.
Scenarios 1 and 2 are the worst cases and could result in longer than expected time to get any given neighborhood back to a sufficient water pressure. There could be obstacles such as parts availability issues to repair the pumps, and/or the logistics of trying to obtain those parts. In the case where a city water main breaks, there has to first be someone to report signs of it, and then the logistics of the repair.
For your own sanity, please set reasonable expectations, and know there are people out there working to get these issues resolved. If you are out and about and happen to see water gushing out of some pipe or street, go ahead and report it. It could be a matter that the city doesn’t have visibility to it yet. Update from Lina Hidalgo
Tips:
If you are not home, or may not be home when the water pressure comes back you might want to turn off the water valve to your home. This will prevent any water intrusion as a result of pipes that cracked due to water freezing in the line. If you are home when the water resumes normal pressure be sure to look and listen for any signs of water leaking so that you can shutoff the water supply and minimize any damage to your home.
Every home should have a main shutoff valve. This could be in the garage or on the outside of the garage closest to the road and visible when walking to the front door. There are two types of valves used. A gate valve for a ball valve. The gate valve looks like the one on the left, and the ball valve on the right. Do not confuse your gas line with your water line. Your water line will be closet towards the road then the gas line. Gas line should be taller and may have a meter on it.
Caution: Depending on the age of your gate valve, you could risk it breaking when it’s in a open or closed state. If it breaks when it is closed, you will not be able to get water once it comes back online. If it breaks in the open state then you will not be able turn off the water to the entire house if there is a leak.0
Some homes have a water supply manifold which allows you to turn off water to a particular sink or shower. This is useful if you wish to conduct a repair but do not want to turn off the water to the entire home.
In Summary:
The upside to living in a community such as ours we can easily help each other in a time of need. Please do check on your neighbors and see how they are doing. Consider using the TownSquare app to offer up or look for resources in need, stay positive, and please reach out to the board if you need anything. We will do what we can to assist.