Oakmont residents tell Public Works of persistent low water pressure; staff pinpoints valves and older plumbing

At the Public Works portion of April 13’s meeting, Oakmont resident Tim Reeves told board members the neighborhood has suffered low water pressure since development and asked the authority to act: “I sit in my backyard and I look at a water tower — it’s very frustrating to have no water pressure when I’m looking at a giant water tower in my backyard,” Reeves said.

Staff responded that an assembly of three valves at the local tower and two valves west of 26th Street had been found (some buried and shut). When those valves were opened, pressure in the neighborhood rose by roughly five pounds per square inch. The general manager said parts are on order to replace a priority valve assembly and staff is conducting distribution and source sampling required by the state’s water-quality review process.

Planning and utility staff cautioned that the findings point toward older service lines and household plumbing (homes from the 1970s–1980s) rather than a single source in the distribution mains: “So like the city manager said, there’s a good possibility the towers have lead-based solder and when it sits in the pipes for a while, then you open the tap and pull it out,” a staff member said. Staff reiterated recommended interim steps for affected residents — flushing lines and running taps — while longer-term remediation and parts replacement proceed.

Board members thanked residents for raising the issue and asked staff to continue work to locate and remediate distribution constraints. The board did not take a separate vote during the Public Works meeting beyond the routine agenda approvals.