The Bradford City Water Authority’s finished water storage tanks and reservoir continue to see a slow recovery following the transmission main break Sunday night that affected the 20-inch main along Campus Drive.
As a result, a voluntary water conservation effort is still in effect.
Water Authority on-call personnel were notified of a possible water leak around 11 a.m. Sunday, and crews were dispatched around noon to the Campus Drive location. The line was repaired by 9:30 p.m. and all customers were back in service by 10:30 p.m.
Steve Disney, executive director, explained that “due to water losses incurred during the break, water levels at the Authority finished water tanks and reservoirs still have not fully recovered. A full recovery is expected to take most of this week.”
He went on to explain, “Recoveries of this nature take some time to correct as customers are continuing to consume water at the same time we’re trying to replenish our storage supplies. We’re asking for each customer to try and conserve as much water as possible to assist us in this effort.”
He also stated “a boil water advisory is not necessary regarding this event. Due to turbulence of the water in the mains at some locations, customers may experience dirty water; they are reminded to allow the cold water tap to run for a while in an effort to allow it to clear up.”
This event has magnified the need for the Authority to install a new main transmission supply line consisting of nearly 6.5 miles of 20-inch diameter PVC water line.
On this subject Disney added, “The Authority is very aware that one single transmission main is not adequate and we have been making great strides to obtain all the necessary design and engineering needed to get the project submitted to DEP for their approval. This current event shows us how vulnerable one single line is to our system. Once we have a second, redundant line installed, events such as this one will be far less stressful to the system.
“The need for a redundant water transmission main with functioning shutoff valves is apparent,” he said. “This new proposed 20-inch diameter water transmission main will fulfill that need.”
Disney talked about the cost of the project, too.
“Our anticipated cost for the new 20-inch transmission main is expected to be at least $8.5 million dollars, and projected cost for the rehabilitation of the existing 24-inch transmission main would add at least another $8 million dollars,” he explained, going on to talk about how the authority plans to pay for the project.
“To fund these projects the Authority will be searching for all applicable grant opportunities available, including low interest loans through PENNVEST,” he said. “If water supply rates were needed to be used exclusively as the sole means of funding these projects, rates would need to increase by approximately $1.30 per 1,000 gallons. Taking the current rate from $2.70/1,000 gals to $4.00/1,000 gallons. These rate increases would be phased in over a 3-year period.”
