Residents in northwest Emporia may notice some fire hydrants flowing the next few days.
It’s part of a plan to balance water pressure across town — and a goal of reducing the number of water main breaks that have developed in Emporia since the city took the East 12th Avenue water tower offline two weeks ago for maintenance.
City Manager Trey Cocking says the city’s incident command team decided on that step after conversations and situational planning Tuesday. One concern about the water tower rehab project has been the occasional but significant water pressure variations after certain water main breaks, including one Sept. 13 that led to a water watch and voluntary water conservation requests after a 20-inch transmission failed in the 1300 block of Prairie and the situation that unfolded Monday afternoon through most of early Tuesday after a break in the 1600 block of Prairie. Taking the East 12th tower offline and redirecting the underground water flow to the Industrial Park 3 tower near South and Carter has increased water pressure on aging pipes at a time when the city’s notoriously responsive clay soils are expanding and squeezing pipes due to recent rainfall over the past week.
Opening up the hydrants, Cocking says, should minimize any sudden pressure-related issues in the pipes that may arise. Cocking also hopes this step could help reduce the number of water main breaks, with the goal of reducing the overall number to under five per week while avoiding any failures on the city’s major transmission lines.
Water main breaks Tuesday on West Ridge and at 23rd and Hillcrest have both been repaired.
A water watch continues until the system “can be stabilized,” according to Cocking. Residents are asked to conserve water during the watch.
3:30 pm Tuesday: Repairs complete on pair of water main breaks Tuesday; Water watch still in place for Emporia water customers
A water watch, meaning voluntary conservation efforts, is still in place for the city of Emporia following a number of main breaks over the past 24 hours.
The watch followed a pair of water warnings Monday, the first of which was issued just before 5 pm Monday afternoon after water pressure dropped significantly. The pressure drop came as a result of a 20-inch line break in the 1600 block of Prairie Street.
The watch will remain in place until “the system is stabilized” according to City Manager Trey Cocking. Since then, a pair of breaks were reported at West Ridge Drive and the intersection of 23rd and Hillcrest Tuesday morning.
Repairs on both breaks were completed between 11:10 am and just after 12:30 pm Tuesday.
To report water main breaks during business hours, call Public Works at 620-340-6339. To report water main breaks after business hours, call Lyon County Emergency Communications at 620-343-4225. If you need to call Emergency Communications, you may be placed on a brief hold, depending on the dispatcher call load.
10:18 am Tuesday: More water main breaks develop Tuesday; Prairie reopens between 12th and 15th
At least for now, residents using Emporia drinking water are still being asked to conserve water — although the mandatory conservation measures needed at times since late Monday afternoon are not in place.
More water main breaks developed in the mid-morning hours Tuesday, with crews dispatched to West Ridge Drive and the intersection of 23rd and Hillcrest, but a water watch continues at this time, indicating a request for voluntary conservation. This follows several water main breaks Monday, including a break on a 20-inch line in the 1600 block of Prairie that prompted city officials to start the alert process with a water warning shortly before 5 pm. The water warning was issued about two hours after the initial break — but only because the water pressure dipped significantly after 4:30 pm. The watch will remain in place “until the system is stabilized,” according to City Manager Trey Cocking.
Hours before the water alerts, Cocking joined KVOE’s Talk of Emporia for his monthly Q&A with Trey update. One of the topics that come up right away was why the city has had to deal with around 30 water main breaks since last Tuesday, and Cocking says part of the answer has to do with needed work on the East 12th Avenue water tower — which has been closed for repairs for nearly two weeks. The tower is approaching 40 years old and hasn’t had a significant maintenance project yet, according to Cocking.
On KVOE’s 8:05 am newscast Tuesday, Cocking said city leaders may have to decide whether to pause the project, which still has another two months of work days scheduled.
Cocking says the other main factor is the city’s clay soil, which had dried out for months because of the drought and then got wet with moderate to isolated heavy rain early last week. Cocking says dry clay puts little to no pressure on water lines, while wet clay puts enormous pressure on the pipes — and the “push” of water to the Industrial Park 3 water tower adds to the issues.
Crews have now handled over 30 water main breaks since early afternoon Sept. 12. Because of the ongoing issues and related concerns about future stress on the system, the city “stood up” its incident command system with Assistant City Manager Mark Detter named as incident commander. Cocking says this step was taken to make sure all resources were going where they needed to go. The incident command team also met around 10 am Tuesday for additional conversations.
If there is any good news about the past week, Prairie Street reopened between 12th and 15th after a 20-inch line blew out Wednesday. Prairie is still closed between 15th and 18th after the situation Monday.
7:30 am Tuesday: Residents using city water now in water watch as voluntary conservation request returns
Residents using Emporia drinking water, whether in or out of the city limits, are now being asked to conserve water instead of being told to do so.
This reflects a change from a water warning to a water watch as announced by the city around 7:15 am. Emporia has been in and out of water watches or warnings since around 4:30 pm Monday after a 20-inch water line failed in the 1600 block of Prairie. The warning had been re-issued shortly before 10 pm after a break in the 2100 block of Prairie.
5:40 am Tuesday: Warning — and mandatory conservation — continues systemwide until further notice
A water warning — and mandatory water conservation measures — is ongoing for Emporia and all residents using city water.
There had already been several water main breaks Monday morning, but a failure on a 20-inch water transmission main in the 1600 block of Prairie forced city officials to start a water warning shortly before 5 pm. The situation eased by early evening, so the warning was replaced by a water watch, meaning voluntary conservation. Another pipe break — this one in the 2100 block of Prairie around 9:30 pm — meant the watch was replaced by a warning.
Crews have now repaired around 30 water main breaks over the past week. On KVOE’s Q&A with Trey monthly update as part of the Talk of Emporia on Monday, City Manager Trey Cocking says several factors have come into play. The East 12th Avenue water tower has been offline for nearly two weeks as part of a much-needed maintenance project, and it will remain offline for several more weeks. That has pushed water to the Industrial Park 3 water tower, increasing pressure on aging lines at a time when the city’s notorious clay soils have gotten damp after months of drying.
Cocking also likened the clay soils to ice, which also has the capacity to expand and contract, depending on other conditions like moisture.
Until further notice, residents need to eliminate “non-essential use” and conserve indoor use to 1,000 gallons per week. Meanwhile, Prairie Street is now closed to thru traffic from 12th to 15th and from 15th to 18th, although all traffic on 15th can get through that intersection.
No boil water alert of any sort has been issued by the Kansas Department of Health Environment.
To report water main breaks during business hours, call Public Works at 620-340-6339. To report water main breaks after business hours, call Lyon County Emergency Communications at 620-343-4225. If you need to call Emergency Communications, you may be placed on a brief hold, depending on dispatcher call load.
*Click here for more KVOE News coverage from Monday’s activity.
*Click here for a YouTube Short video.
