Friday, March 29, 2024

Pateros city-wide flush boosts pressure, beats a breakdown

Yes, Carlene, there is a Santa Claus

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PATEROS – The long-awaited city-wide flush that integrated the new city reservoir, pump, and water system with the existing delivery network pulled the handle last Tuesday, Dec. 18, giving the city its first water upgrade since the town was relocated in the early 1960s.

Technicians made the transfer from the two old reservoirs to the new one just after 10 a.m., tested the new pump through the day and switched it on to automatic operation at 7 p.m.

it went pretty smooth,” said City Administrator Jord Wilson. “We did not receive a single phone call from a resident with an emergency.”

The new pump increased the system’s water pressure by 22 pounds, said Wilson, and that event did trigger a minor consequence at the Pateros school. The sudden increase in pressure activated a sensor in the school’s fire sprinkler system and the ensuing alarm prompted an evacuation exercise.

Elsewhere there were some reports of dark or cloudy water but no concentrations of manganese. There was, however, unanimous approval of the improved pressure especially from those living at higher elevations in town for whom adequate water pressure has been an issue since the city was relocated.

When Pateros needed to move to higher ground to make way for the construction of Wells Dam, eight miles south on the Columbia River, the relocation raised the downtown elevation about 20 feet and decreased water pressure proportionately.

We had O.K. pressure downtown,” said Wilson of that 60-pound average, “but at the base of Ives Street the pressure dropped to 30 or 40 pounds.”

Now the pressure gauge reads 80 downtown and up to 60 along Ives that borders the higher north side of the city.

The citywide flush was originally scheduled for Dec.7, but was then pushed ahead to Dec. 11. On the big day, an overlooked well water test forced a last-minute delay until the 18th. As it turned out the transition of systems came just in the – dare we say it? – St. Nick of time.

After putting the new pump through some paces Wednesday morning, Dec. 19, Wilson and crew did a walk-through of the old pump station. They discovered that sometime during the previous evening an electrical malfunction had taken out a fuse, electrical panel and other components that would have shut down half of the city’s water supply.

Interestingly, during Santa’s visit to Pateros Memorial Park on Dec. 6, Pateros mayor Carlene Anders sat on his knee and asked the jolly old elf for just one Christmas wish: an incident-free city-wide flush.

Yes, Carlene, there is a Santa Claus.

 

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