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City of Adak, Alaska
Friday June 8th, 2018 :: 11:25 a.m. HDT

Alert

Update: Low water pressure

Update: The problem was identified at the dam last night.  A significant amount of dirt and debris was caked onto the inlet screen.  This screen was inspected/cleaned in Spring 2017 and while it prevents certain undesired items from getting into and damaging other system components, we are now mindful that increased maintenance at the dam will be required and implemented.

Our flow rates were increased last night with this cleaning, although due to the amount of air in the line and usage within the system, the pressure was not what we hoped it would be by this morning.  We tested and determined that the major line in our water treatment plant is not impacted and have brought that back online, resulting in double the amount of flow than we had last night.  With current flow rates we expect that you will see increased pressure within the next 4-6 hours back into the normal range.  At that time we will start re-energizing other segments of the system.  We are concerned, however, that we may have another significant leak in the system, other than the one we identified yesterday.  We will continue to monitor and attempt to troubleshoot to see if our concern is validated.
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Update: We traced the probem to debris within the water treatment plant.  We are unsure how much or what type is blocking our pressure reducing valves from fully functioning leading to diminished flow out of the plant and into the tanks/distribution system.  We may have significant work ahead, however effective immediately we are shutting off service to the following areas until sufficient pressure builds in the system:

  • City Hall/Fish Plant/Liquor Store area
  • City Shop to Liquor Store
  • Main Road to Power Plant 3
  • Main Road to DOT, NEX
We believe that this will concentrate the flow of water directly into the housing distribution system.  As we regain full pressure we will reopen closed segments until everyone is restored.  We apologize for the inconvience and want to reassure everyone we are working as hard and fast as we can to correct the problem.
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Update: We identified the source of the problem to an internal debris screen at the water treatment plant.  Due to the vast amount of water the town has used over the last several months our fine particulate matter screen became clogged faster than anticipated.  Our staff has corrected the issue and water is increasing the water tank level and the distribution system. We expect the low pressure to continue for at least a few more hours due to the large diameter pipes feeding our system. Please keep the water lines closed as much as possible as this will make the process go faster. Thank you for your understanding. 
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This afternoon we became aware that the water pressure within the system was low.  We are investigating its cause and suspect it is within our water treatment plant.  We will update with further information as we have it.

Instructions:

Continue to conserve water, using minimum possible until full pressure is achieved. Do not do laundry at this time. If pressure drops when opening the tap, turn off and wait a bit.

Address/Location
City of Adak, Alaska
100 Mechanic Rd
Adak, AK 99546

Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 907-592-4500

Layton J. Lockett
Administration/EmergcyMgmt
[email protected]
907-592-4500

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Alert Details

Severity:
Unknown - Severity unknown
Urgency:
Expected - Responsive action SHOULD be taken soon (within next hour)
Certainty:
Observed - Determined to have occurred or to be ongoing
Category:
Utility, telecommunication, other non-transport infrastructure
Event:
Water Control Facilities

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