Carmel Utilities says West-side water main incident was contained but communications fell short

Carmel Utilities reported to the Common Council on Aug. 18 that a fire-hydrant failure on a 36‑inch main on the city’s west side caused a rapid pressure loss in the distribution system, briefly dipping below the 20‑psi threshold that requires a boil advisory under Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) rules. Utilities staff said crews identified and isolated the break, worked with neighboring Westfield (Citizens) to restore pressure, and re-pressurized the system within about two hours.

But the utilities director told council members the public outreach and messaging that followed the incident “fell short.” He said the department did not have a direct customer push-notification system in place that morning and that the new communications platform the utility planned to launch had been delayed while vendors fixed software issues. Utilities officials pledged to implement direct alert capability, expand pressure monitoring, and improve joint operations with city communications and the emergency operations center (EOC).

Key technical facts

- The break was identified shortly after 8:09 a.m.; crews isolated the damaged location and closed valves to protect wider system pressure. - Carmel’s production baseline was described as roughly 8 million gallons per day for normal consumption and up to 20–22 million gallons on irrigation days; the utilities director said demand that Monday approached 20 million gallons because automatic irrigation was active. - The city’s west-side tower holds about 2 million gallons and dropped from about 37% full to nearly empty during the pressure event. - The distribution main near the site moves water at roughly 150 psi in normal operation; sensors at several locations showed pressure dips triggered by the incident. - Because pressure briefly fell below the regulatory 20‑psi threshold, IDEM guidance required a boil advisory; utilities said they believed contamination was unlikely because disinfectant residuals remained and the system was being actively flushed with treated water.

Communications failures and fixes

Utilities Director Leighton (full name on city roster) said the department lacked a tested text/email push-notification system for all customers; the city is purchasing software that will allow targeted messages to customers who opt in but that rollout had not been completed. He also said the city’s third-party billing system does not provide a general broadcast-email feature and that the municipal marketing office could help, but the utilities and EOC did not use the EOC as a central communications hub during the first hours of the incident.

Councilors criticized the timing and tone of public messages. Council members said the initial language — which advised customers to boil water — created anxiety for parents and vulnerable residents because it did not explain the difference between a widely distributed “boil advisory” (a precaution when pressure falls below 20 psi) and a boil order (a confirmed contamination). Utilities officials acknowledged they needed a short, plain-English explanation for future advisories and promised a tabletop exercise with emergency management and city communications.

Operational follow-up promised

Officials told the council they will: add monitoring sensors in more locations to narrow affected areas quickly; evaluate additional restraining hardware on hydrants and critical connections; complete the new customer alert/portal rollout and encourage opt-in for push alerts; review EOC activation and notification procedures; and commission a condition study (the Board of Public Works had approved a related study) to map long-term infrastructure needs. The utilities director said there was not an immediate plan to raise utility rates as a result of the incident but that future investment needs will be evaluated in the upcoming capital planning work.

Ending

Council members accepted the operational briefing and pressed for faster, clearer customer outreach. The utilities director said the department will return with an after-action report and the city will pursue technology and sensor upgrades to reduce the chance of similar communications breakdowns in future incidents.