HUNTSVILLE, Utah, Dec. 13, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Huntsville Mayor Richard L. Sorensen has asked city residents to delay washing clothing and filling bathtubs until a leak in the city’s water system can be found and repaired.
“I wanted to provide an update regarding our water system leaks and declining water storage, and urge you to aggressively conserve water,” he said in a social media statement issued Friday.
“If you can postpone washing clothes, filling bathtubs, etc. until we find and fix the leak, we and your neighbors would greatly appreciate it. None of us want to run out of water. I don’t want to cause panic, but need to pass on the urgency of the situation.
“We have a significant leak in our system and it has been determined to be between our water plant, which is located on the valley floor, and our 1,000,000 gallon water storage tank, which is located some 3,000 – 4000 linear feet up the mountain. Our water is treated in the plant, then pumped up to the storage tank. The water then gravity flows throughout the distribution system.”
On Monday, officials determined the storage tank level “was declining significantly faster than we could fill it,” the Mayor’s statement says.
“As of Dec. 12 at 5 p.m., our storage tank was only at 10% of capacity, down from 15% in a 24-hour period. This morning at 0900 a.m., our storage tank sits at 6% capacity (60,500 gallons), and we may only have 10 hours of water if we don’t find the major leak soon, and we don’t conserve the water we have.”
No significant leaks have been found – just a few smaller leaks, the Mayor’s statement says.
“We are losing substantially more water than we can pump into the storage tank.
“Combined with our water team, which is led by our resident expert Ron Gault, our water repair contractor, an expert from the Rural Water Association of Utah, and a leak detection company, we have had a crew of 12-15 very qualified individuals searching for the leak.
“This morning, we authorized our contractor to perform a leak finding process which involves injecting the suspect line with a gas mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen. In essence, they isolate the suspect section of pipe, and pressurize it with the gas. They then walk the line using a sensor to identify any leaking gas. This process has some limitations due to the ground being frozen and the snow covered uneven terrain, so the contractor is still evaluating this procedure versus other leak finding measures, which are currently being implemented.”
Officials have reached out to Weber County for possible assistance, the statement says. They also contacted Eden water, “who has generously offered to set up a water filling station in Eden near the LDS stake center if the need arises. Hopefully, with our combined conservation efforts, they won’t be needed. At our current drawdown rate, we could be out of water by Friday evening.
“Lastly, we ask for your assistance in identifying any elderly neighbors or shut-ins who may need assistance in transporting water in the event that our supply is depleted,” the Mayor’s statement says.
“Thanks for your conservation efforts. We will keep you updated via email and our Facebook page.”
