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Town reports water system chlorination, false SCADA alarms and ongoing cut‑over work
Summary
Town staff said a mapping error during cutover left chlorinated stagnant water in the distribution system; crews flushed and chlorinated lines and the town is addressing SCADA false alarms and possible battery backup issues.
WALSBURG, Utah — At the Sept. 5 Wallsburg Town Council meeting, staff updated the council on a recent water‑system issue during cutover work to a new tank and on continuing technical problems with the SCADA monitoring system.
Staff member (water operator) reported that during work to bring water to a new upper tank a mapping error and flow conditions caused previously chlorinated, stagnant water to be pushed into the distribution system. The operator explained what happened: “What they did what they did was with the mapping… they was 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. It just melt bad. But they put that almost up to the new tank, shut the well off, and that sucked everything back into the system.”
To address the smell and taste issue, staff opened hydrants, calculated chlorine dosing, and reported they are adding chlorine to the upper and lower tanks overnight to maintain free‑chlorine levels until flows stabilize. The operator said, “We're putting a gallon in every night,” and warned customers they “may taste a little bit of chlorine for a little bit.”
Staff also reported problems with the SCADA control system producing false alarms and that a technician (Chris Scott) has been asked to perform repairs. The operator said he has been manually overriding a pressure‑reducing valve (PRV) and expects a service call from the technician to fix the false alarms.
Council members raised two ancillary items: (1) the town’s access‑road base work and whether imported base will wash away, and (2) the battery backup for power during outages. A council member noted the battery backup did not work during a recent power outage and said the town may need to replace it; town staff indicated Alicia (town clerk) has more information.
Why it matters: The town’s update involved public‑health mitigation (system chlorination and flushing) and operational reliability (SCADA alarms and battery backup). Staff said the system is being treated and monitored and that residents may notice temporary chlorine taste or smell.
No council motion was taken; staff said they will continue flushing and monitoring and will have a technician service the SCADA system.
