BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Eight days after a catastrophic shutdown of the Martin County Water system, district manager Craig Miller said Tuesday evening that about 95% of the system is back in water.
“There are little areas, such as Little Lick, where customers are on higher elevations, and we’ve got to blow off and get water up to them,” Miller said. “Some of it may be attributed to another leak, the low pressure, so we’ll continue to do leak detection there.”
Other areas the district is working on include Collins Creek, Little Lick on Old Route 3 and Route 292/Long Branch.
“The system is running well. The clear wells are holding steady at about 20 feet, which is about 10 feet below full,” said Miller.
Tuesday morning, water workers and customers experienced a setback when a leak ruptured a line near the foot of Buck Creek Hill that “hurt the Buck Creek tank.” The rupture was due to old construction not restraining the valve and the hydrant to the main. When workers dug up the line, it blew.
“We had to valve off the Buck Creek tank again this morning,” said Miller. “It took a considerable part of the day to repair the line and get the tank back up and water flowing. We were able to do that this afternoon and are doing some final blowoff in the area.”
In the last week the district has replaced 30 busted meters and repaired 12 main line breaks and multiple service line leaks. If Miller had to estimate the number of service lines, it would be around 20 or 25.
The crisis began Dec. 26 when the 14-inch main line that runs from the plant to the mouth of Turkey Creek ruptured and drained the clear wells at the water treatment plant, forcing the water district to shut the plant down. As frigid temperatures continued, ruptured lines and depleted water towers made pressurizing the system difficult. The clear wells at the plant were emptying faster than water could be treated, leaving the county with no reservoir of treated water.
“When it gets low, it’s really hard to recover,” said Miller. “But once it gets to a certain point, it’s almost like it snaps and starts recovering very quickly. At about 7 o’clock last night I called the guys at the plant, and they said, ‘We have 20 feet in this tank and 50 in this tank. It just started filling fast. I wasn’t really anticipating being able to get as many people in water as we did last night.”
Martin County is receiving support from a crew out of Missouri who will be here the rest of the week. Louisa and Prestonsburg also came to the water district’s aid bringing parts.
“It’s a real blessing. Surrounding communities have been very helpful during this,” said Miller. “Judge Lafferty did a great job with emergency management, getting them out to give water to the customers, which was a huge relief in a lot of ways, and we’re grateful.”
Miller said the 14-inch line that ruptured had previously been repaired with a clamp that was not rated for the pressures that come off that line.
“We cut it out and repaired it with HYMAX couplings on both sides that won’t allow it to blow apart again,” he said, noting the line needs to be replaced.
“The highway department has a guardrail project and is supposed to replace the guardrail in that area,” explained Miller. “With that project, they’re going to replace that line because they’ll have to move it. That is why I don’t have it on my capital improvement list. I walked the line with them and thought they were going to get around to it last summer.”
Miller said while the system is “out of the woods,” there is still potential for something to happen.
“We’re going to pray and keep our fingers crossed that everything continues to move the right way.”
Martin County Judge/Executive Lon Lafferty declared a state of emergency Friday night, and the county started distributing bottled water to residents. By Tuesday, Martin County Emergency Management director Kayla May had distributed 66 pallets of bottled water.
“This situation has created a considerable hardship and health concerns for our citizens,” Lafferty said in a news conference Friday. “Therefore, I am declaring a local state of emergency, which will help us receive much-needed resources to assist us in distributing the needed water throughout the county while repairs are being made by the water company. …I know this week has been very trying for all of us.”
The county will distribute water Wednesday (Jan. 4) from 10 a.m.-noon at Warfield Park, Oppy Church, Collier Center and from 11:30-1:30 at Buck Branch United Baptist Church. There will be four pallets at each location.
Martin County schools were closed Tuesday due to water outages.
A countywide boil water advisory remains in effect. Until further notice, bring all water used for drinking or cooking to a rolling boil for three minutes before using.
