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Town addresses water system smell after cutover; SCADA alarms and backup battery flagged for repair
Summary
Staff said mapping errors during a cutover circulated chlorinated, stagnant water through the system, prompting hydrant flushing and temporary chlorination; SCADA false alarms and a nonworking battery backup were reported and a technician was scheduled to address them.
Wallsburg staff told the town council on Sept. 5 that a recent water-system cutover circulated chlorinated, stagnant water into the distribution system and that crews have been flushing and treating lines to clear the odor.
Troy Ossler reported that mapping and valve errors during cutover left portions of the old and new piping simultaneously pressurized, which allowed chlorinated, stagnant water to be drawn back into the active system. "What they did... they were trying to pump water into the old tank and pump water into the new tank and they couldn't get it up the hill, so they pushed all that stagnant water that was chlorinated... and that sucked everything back into the system," Ossler said.
Crews opened hydrants, flushed lines and added chlorine to the tanks overnight. Ossler said staff has been adding one gallon of chlorine per about 25,000 gallons to achieve roughly 1 part per million until flows normalize; he warned customers they may taste or smell chlorine for a short period.
Ossler also reported recurring issues with the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system producing false alarms and a potential battery-backup failure during a previous power outage. He said a technician, Chris Scott, will be asked to come fix the SCADA alarms and that the town may need to replace the battery backup. "The SCADA system needs some attention. It keeps giving me false alarms... so you're we're gonna get a bill from Chris Scott," Ossler said.
Why it matters: water quality perceptions and functioning remote-monitoring equipment affect resident confidence and system reliability. Staff presented specific remedial steps (hydrant flushing, dosing) and a scheduled technician visit for telemetry and control issues.
Next steps: staff will continue hydrant flushing and chlorination until the distribution system clears, meet a technician to address SCADA false alarms and assess whether the battery backup must be replaced; staff said they will return with updates and cost estimates if repairs require procurement.
