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Town crews respond after mapping error pushes chlorinated water back into system; SCADA and backup power flagged for repair
Summary
Wallsburg staff reported an incident in which mapping errors during the water system cutover caused chlorinated, stagnant water to be pushed back into the distribution system; the town flushed and chlorinated sections and scheduled SCADA troubleshooting and possible battery-backup replacement.
Troy Ossler, staff member, briefed council members on a water-system incident during the Sept. 5 meeting in which an incorrect valve mapping and cutover sequence caused stagnant, chlorinated water to be drawn back into the distribution piping.
"What they did was with the mapping... 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... they pushed all that stagnant water that was chlorinated... and that sucked everything back into the system," Ossler said.
Ossler said crews opened hydrants and added chlorine to both the upper and lower tanks to re-establish disinfectant residual. "We're putting a gallon in every night," he said, and warned customers that they may taste or smell chlorine for a short time.
He also reported recurring false alarms from the SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system that monitor pressures and valves, and said he has scheduled a technician, Chris Scott, to address the alarms and a PRV override issue. Council members and staff also said they observed that a battery backup did not operate during a recent power outage and that the town may need to replace that unit.
No formal action was taken at the meeting beyond staff direction to continue system flushing and to arrange SCADA repairs and equipment checks.
