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Bluff water board says library power outage interrupted tank radios, causing temporary low pressure
Summary
Town and water-board representatives reported that a power outage at the library interrupted radio communication between storage tanks and the treatment plant on May 30, leaving parts of Bluff with low pressure; staff manually operated overrides to restore service and recommended cross-training additional personnel.
Bluff water-board staff told the Town Council June 2 that a power outage at the library building disrupted radio communications between storage tanks and the water treatment plant on May 30, preventing tanks from calling for refill and causing low pressure in some parts of town.
Unidentified water-board representative (S6) described the chain of events: "the power outage at the library caused the communication error between the tank radio and the water treatment plant radio," and said staff used manual override switches at the wells to pump and begin refilling tanks. The representative estimated it took about an hour and a half to restore usable pressure to most residents, while a full refill of tanks can take one-and-a-half to two days.
Council members and staff discussed the difficulty of notifying customers and the need to expand redundancy: the board is working to train additional people to operate the manual overrides so the system is not reliant on a single person. Rocky Mountain Power’s unannounced outage was cited as the probable cause; staff said they will follow up with the power provider and encouraged residents to bring water-system questions to the weekly Water Works meeting.
No water-quality contamination was reported; the board said water was drinkable once pressure returned and urged residents to consult Water Works for specifics.
