24 Hour Emergency Water Use Conservation

Transcript of Emergency Phone Call Monday, July 31, 2023, 5:00 PM

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

The second bay was cleaned today, and unfortunately, we are seeing a very high consumption of water, including Patrons who have ignored the restriction on landscape watering.  The result is the system is at seriously low levels in the contact chamber and reservoir, despite having potable water trucks delivering to the contact chamber all day.  We are now at high risk of the reservoir dropping to critically low levels overnight, without the ability to recover. 

As requested before, we need everyone’s cooperation to turn off all outside landscape watering immediately for the next 24 hours at a minimum, along with conserving use of water to essentials only.

If you received a door tag notifying you of non-compliance from the District during this last call to turn off landscape watering, please comply now with this urgent conservation request.

The District will also be monitoring the District areas during the next 24 hours to enforce the conservation in order to avoid a serious loss of pressure in the distribution system that could lead to possible contamination and a boil order for all Patrons.

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 further, and updated, information. 

Thank you.

Water System Update 2:30 PM, Friday, July 28, 2023

The cleaned bay is performing better than expected, and at this time the District is clarifying that "essential use" of water is to include normal household use:  Cooking, Laundry, Dishes, Showers and toilet use, watering of food gardens (hold off on ornamental and landscape watering until the third SSF bay is cleaned and back online!), and, of course, water for pets and livestock.

Thank you to all Patrons that are, and are continuing to, conserve on their water use.  Based upon the numbers we are seeing at the plant, there has been widespread cooperation, and it has made a huge impact on the District's ability to keep water flowing to all Patrons.

Please continue to monitor the blog for any new information and updates on water use.

Update on Bay Cleaning/Water Use Restrictions

One Slow Sand Filter (SSF) bay has been cleaned, but is still in the flushing process to enable bringing it back online.  It is anticipated to be brought back online later tonight.  The District is still having to supplement water production with daily potable water trucks (Note:  the largest truck holds 3500 gallons; compare that to the system reservoir that holds 100,000 gallons) coming multiple times to fill the contact chamber to keep the reservoir from going to a critically low level.

The next SSF bay to be cleaned will begin Monday, with it going offline Sunday evening to start the draining process down to the level required for the cleaning process.

Because we still do not have enough production of filtered water (even with the clean bay going back online tonight) to meet the normally high demand at this time of the year, please continue to minimize water use to essentials only, including turning OFF all outside landscape watering, until we get the second bay cleaned and back online.

Thank you for your cooperation in helping ensure that we keep this critical system running to provide essential water needs for all of the District Customers.

As new information becomes available, or there is a change in the waters system status, the District will post that information to this blog.

Thank you.

EMERGENCY NOTICE RESTRICT WATERING

Transcript of Emergency Call at 11:25 AM.:

Phone Message July 25, 2023 11:25 AM

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

We are seeing an unusual buildup on the sand filters that is inhibiting water flow, reducing the potable water that the system can filter.  The District will be doing two successive emergency sand filter bay cleanings beginning tomorrow morning, only taking one bay off at a time.  Please turn off all outside watering and reduce water use to essential needs only effective immediately until further notice.  The best case will be a 72 hour restriction, but may have to be extended.

At this time, the District is trucking in potable water to barely keep water levels in the contact chamber and the reservoir from dropping to critically low levels. 

We need everyone’s 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 further, and updated, information. 

Thank you.

_______________________________________________

WE ARE EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS AT THE SAND FILTRATION PLANT.  WE ARE ASKING ALL PATRONS TO RESTRICT WATER USAGE.  THE BAYS ARE HAVING PROBLEMS AT THE SAND FILTRATION PLANT.  THE PLANT OPERATOR IS HAVING PORTABLE WATER BROUGHT IN TO TRY AND KEEP THE RESERVOIR LEVELS UP.  PLEASE RESTRICT ALL WATER USAGE INSIDE AND NO OUTSIDE WATERING UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.  THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

The KCWD1 board meeting is Wednesday July 26, 2023 at 6:00 P.M.  located at 6095 Mullan Trail Rd.  The agenda can be viewed under the pages tab.

Emergency Replacement of Section of Little Joe Rd. Main

Update 4:20 PM:  Work to replace 30 feet of pipe is complete and mains are being re-pressurized.  Patrons who have had their water service interrupted during this emergency repair should flush their lines until running water is clear during first use.

2:00 PM:  A 30-40 foot section of the Little Joe Rd. main is in the process of being replaced in order to stop additional leaks and to shore up this old main section until its eventual replacement as part of the larger District Capital Project.  Patrons on Little Joe, Cartright, Reagan, Hoss, and Allen Rd. will experience water service interruptions until the repair is completed.   ETR (Estimated Time of restoration) is 5:00 PM this evening.

Please monitor the blog for updates.

Resume Landscape Watering on Odd-Even Day Schedule

Landscape watering can be resumed as of Wednesday morning, July 12, 2023, but KCWD#1 is asking that all Patrons water on an Odd/Even Day schedule; i.e. if your address is an odd number, set your watering timer to water on odd days only; if your address is an even number, set your watering timer to water on even days only.  Likewise, manual watering should be done on this same schedule.  The District is asking that this measure be in place throughout the rest of July, August and September.

Why are we asking for this schedule?

The reservoir level recovered over the last two days, and we have determined that this latest break on Little Joe Rd, was a large component of the water demand and the draw-down of the reservoir.  However, even though that particular break was repaired, there is evidence that this main has additional breaks.  The District has planned to begin a 30-40 foot replacement on Wednesday morning to attempt to proactively shore up this particular main.

In short, the water system continues to be at risk of a prolonged interruption due to a rupture of one of the many old mains of the system (which are scheduled to be replaced beginning this year and into next year).  By staggering the watering schedules, Patrons will be helping to reduce the daily draw down of the reservoir, allowing recovery in a shorter number of hours each day.

Thank your for your cooperation, and please let your neighbors know to follow this landscape watering schedule in order to reduce the risk of a prolonged water outage for all the District.

Stop Landscape Watering Until Further Notice

Update 1:00 PM:  Emergency repair of leak had been completed and mains were re-pressurized.  Crew is monitoring to assure that repair holds.

Patrons who have had their water service interrupted during this emergency repair should flush their lines until running water is clear during first use.

Reservoir shows signs of recovering, but further evaluation is needed until landscape watering can be resumed.  Thank you for your patience.

Transcript of Emergency Phone Call from KCWD#1 at 7:30 AM:

Phone Message July 10, 2023 7:30 AM

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

Please stop all outside landscape watering effective immediately until further notice.  The reservoir has been dropping in the early morning hours to very low levels and the system has not been able to recover the demand over the day.

We are trying to determine what the cause is, including the leak which was discovered yesterday.  Work on this emergency repair continues this morning as we were not able find the exact location until last night.

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. 

Emergency Leak Repair on Little Joe Rd.

Update 6:20 PM:  With the main pressurized the crew was able to locate the leak.  However, they will not be able to repair it until tomorrow morning, since they only have enough time this evening to do the work to make the road safe for residents for the night.  The plan is to begin work tomorrow around 7:00 AM, with ETR around noon.  Since the isolation valves need to be closed tonight to stop water loss, patrons on Little Joe, Cartright, Reagan, Hoss, and Allen Rd. will again have their water service interrupted tonight and until the repair is completed tomorrow. 

Update 4:50 PM:  Crew has been unsuccessful at finding the exact location of the leak after digging for six hours.  They have re-pressurized the main to see if that will help aid in tracing back to the break.  Historically, when leaks have surfaced in this area, the actual break could be as much as 100 feet away from the location of the surfacing water.

All Patrons that have had their water service restored at this time are advised to fill their bathtubs, or other water containers, for use overnight (e.g. toilet flushing), as the isolation valve will have to be turned off again when the location of the break is found and the repair work on the pipe is performed.

The District crew will continue to dig for a few more hours to try to locate this break, but work may have to be continued tomorrow morning for this emergency repair.  Thank you for your patience.

July 9, 2023, 7:50 AM:  A leak has surfaced near the 6400 block of Little Joe Rd. in the Bonanza area of the District.  KCWD#1 crew has responded and will begin emergency repairs this morning.  Patrons on Little Joe, Cartright, Reagan, Hoss, and Allen Rd. will experience water service interruptions until the repair is completed.  The exact location of the break may be difficult to locate, so ETR (Estimated Time of restoration) is 7:00 PM this evening.

Please monitor the blog for any updates.