Failed Pump Results In

Low Water Pressure

By Andrew Gorosko

After a large water pump failed at United Water’s wellfield on South Main Street last weekend, its water system users at high elevations in the Mt Pleasant area experienced low water pressure and outages.

By Thursday, June 21, the water system was in normal operation after repairs had been made earlier in the week, said United Water Manager Kevin Moran.

Mr Moran said the 700-gallon-per-minute pump, which draws its water from the Pootatuck Aquifer near Sand Hill Plaza, stopped working on the morning of Saturday, June 16.

After that pump on the system’s primary well failed, water company workers switched on a smaller pump that draws water from a secondary well.

Heavy water usage amid hot water caused water levels in the water company’s Reservoir Road storage tank atop Mt Pleasant to drop quickly, causing low pressure and outages in the Mt Pleasant area. The water company was unable to locate a contractor to replace the broken water pump until Monday, June 18, Mr Moran said. The water company had a replacement pump on hand but could not locate a contractor to install it until Monday, he said.

After learning of the water system problems, the town activated its Code Red emergency notification system to alert people living along the water system. The low-pressure problems in the water system did not pose any water quality problems, Mr Moran said.

The water system has 1,279 customers. Mr Moran estimated that about 150 of those customers are in the Mt Pleasant area.