Water System is Fully Recovered - Normal Water Use Can Resume

The KCWD#1 water system is fully recovered and is operating normally at this time.  Outside watering and normal water use can be resumed.

The repair of the leak on the main near the reservoir will be done sometime next week, but is not anticipated to cause any interruption of water production or service.  This repair will allow the system to operate as it has in the past, but the District will be incorporating improvements to this infrastructure during the build of the new reservoir in the Capital Improvements Phase 2 Project, now in the Engineering design stage.

Board Decision on Status of Resolution 2021-02 Temporary Suspension of Water Hook-ups

At the Wednesday, May 24th, Meeting, the Board voted to approve a summary document on the status of the Temporary Suspension of Water Hook-ups that was enacted by Resolution 2021-02.  The link to the document, that was read aloud at the Board Meeting, can be found on both the Resolution 2021-02 and the Board Resolutions pages listed in the upper right hand of the blog Home page.

Update on Water System Recovery

SSF Bay 1 was cleaned on Wednesday and is in the finishing stages of the flushing process before being brought back on line.  In the meantime, a significant leak was uncovered on the eight inch main up near the reservoirs.  Because the leak location cannot be completely isolated, it will need to be repaired under pressure.  The District is consulting with a contractor today to determine the best way to accomplish this, and are hopeful that it will be repaired today.  

There has been some recovery of the reservoir and system even with this new issue, and the District wishes to thank all of the Patrons that are conserving their water use, including turning off all outside watering during this time.

An update will be posted later this evening after more information becomes available.

Thank you.

Stop All outside Watering Until Further Notice!

Update 7:30 PM Monday Evening:

Over last week, the system has had several unrelated failures that all contributed to the loss of water production.  This has included a Cla-Val valve failure at the raw water intake, failure of the water level float in the upper clear well, and the water leaks that were repaired last week.  In addition, SSF#1 (Slow Sand Filter #1) requires cleaning to increase production of filtered water.  Although the failures have been fixed, the net result, with the increase in water use, is the system was not able to recover without taking additional measures.

The District trucked in potable water today to recover the lower clear well, and will do so as long as needed, in order to maintain and help recover the water system.

Please continue to turn off all outside watering, possibly until this weekend, and reduce water use to essentials, until the District indicates that the system has recovered.

Thank you for your cooperation. 

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Emergency Phone Message Transcript:

Phone Message May 22, 2023 7:45 AM

This message is from the Kootenai County Water District No. 1 Board of Directors.

Please stop all outside watering effective immediately until further notice, and reduce water use to bare essentials.  We are experiencing a system problem and have not been able to recover the reservoir which is now standing at five feet.

We are troubleshooting the system and have called in our controls engineer to try to discover what is not functioning correctly, but as of this morning we have not yet identified the problem and what it will take to recover and assure that the system is working as it should.

Thank you for your cooperation.  As not all Patrons may be reached by this emergency call, please let your neighbors know what is happening when you see them.

Please check the KCWD#1 blog at www.kcwd1.blogspot.com for updated information. 

Thank you.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

The KCWD1meeting is Wednesday May 24, 2023 at 6:00 P.M. located at 6095 Mullan Trail Rd.  View the agenda under the pages tab.

Emergency Leak Repair on Goldrush

An emergency leak repair was needed Thursday evening on Goldrush in the Bonanza area of the District. Patrons in that area experienced water service interruptions until the leak was repaired.

Repair was completed at approximately 11:00 PM and mains were re-pressurized.   Patrons that have had their water service interrupted during this emergency repair should flush their lines until running water is clear during first use.  Thank you for your patience.

Second Leak on Bonanza Undergoing Emergency Repair

Update 8:00 PM:  Leak has been repaired more quickly than expected, and line has been re-pressurized.   Patrons that have had their water service interrupted during this emergency repair should flush their lines until running water is clear during first use.  Thank you for your patience.

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3:00 PM:  Another leak, located near the one that was repaired yesterday, has surfaced today and is under emergency repair.  Unfortunately, the same Patrons on Bonanza, Dillon and Kitty Lane who were affected yesterday, will again have water service interrupted until the repair is complete.  ETR (Estimated Time of Restoration) is not until around midnight tonight.

Please note that these particular mains are part of the Phase I water lines replacement project set to begin construction within the next few months, greatly reducing the risk of future main breaks in these areas. 

Emergency Leak Repair in Bonanza Area

4:00 PM:  Leak has been repaired,  Water lines are being pressurized slowly at this time.  Patrons that have had their water service interrupted during this emergency repair should flush their lines until running water is clear during first use.  Thank you for your patience.

9:00 AM:  An emergency leak repair is underway in the Bonanza area.  Unfortunately, the leak is in a difficult location, so repair excavation will be slower than usual in order not to cause any other utility disturbance.  Patrons on Bonanza, Kitty Lane and Dillon will experience water service interruption until the leak is repaired.  Estimated Time of Restoration (ETR) is by end of today around 5:00 PM.

Special Emergency Board Meeting via Phone Conference May 3, 2023

The KCWD#1 Board of Directors has called for a Special Emergency Board Meeting via phone conference call Wednesday evening at 7:00 PM.  As the District has received DEQ approval of the bids submitted for the Phase I District Capital Project, time is of the essence that the District awards that contract so that work can be started as soon as possible. Please see the Agenda for the meeting posted on the Board Meeting Agendas page.