Wallsburg discusses cemetery irrigation, backflow preventers and waterline walkthrough

Wallsburg — At its Jan. 8 meeting the Wallsburg Town Council discussed cemetery maintenance after recent weather disrupted a volunteer event and raised several operational questions about irrigation and potable water connections.

Council member Mary Piscitelli described the disappointment after Christmas Eve activities were interrupted and said the town purchased 700 battery tea lights for $177 to support the volunteer effort in future years. The council then turned to infrastructure: members noted the cemetery’s irrigation system is aging, that the town has previously used a mix of donated and purchased materials for sprinkler hookups, and that replacing or upgrading the system may need to be done in stages and added to the capital improvement list.

Members discussed whether to run potable town water to the cemetery and the regulatory requirement to protect the town system from cross-connections. "We need to send the letter out" to residents, one member said, referring to notifying property owners about required backflow preventers and annual testing; the council agreed staff should draft and distribute guidance about certification, testing vendors and compliance timelines.

Council members also asked staff to run ballpark calculations for watering capacity (based on existing park sprinklers and available pressure) and to gather estimates for installing potable lines or improving the cemetery system; the outcome was direction for staff to begin those calculations and to prepare outreach materials to property owners.