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Show Second Water Pressure Surge Caused PJlore PJloab Damage It was hard to assess the extent of damages, and both residents and city officials were in a quandry Tuesday following a second surge of water pressure which broke lines, blew water heaters, and flooded a number of homes. Problems caused by the early morning-hours surge, were centralized in the east part of town, and the only water main broken was one adjacent to the ball park. However, in addition to more basement flooding and damage dam-age to water heaters in the area, water heater damage was also reported by several in Mountain View Subdivision, and several damage incidents were also reported there from the previous surge March 26. The reason for the high pressure surges was not known exactly, however it was felt by Water Superintendent Lynn Day and other city officials that the closing of the 12-inch main across Mill Creek at the site of the new bridge construction must somehow have affected water flow and pressure within the water system. City crews worked through the weekend and overtime to install the new pipe, which was completed Tuesday. Day reported that when the water was turned into this water main the pressure dropped 10 pounds on the pressure valve gauge in front of Miller's Super Market. He explained the water system is designed so that water can move freely from point to point as it is needed. The various water zones can be shut down, or cut out from the rest of the system by means of valves between zones, he said, when repairs are necessary in a zone. This, however, does not prevent water in other zones from moving through the system. In the case of the shut-down main across Mill Creek, it was assumed the system would, because of this design feature, continue to operate normally. If, with the new main tied into the system at Mill Creek, the pressure problem stabilizes and no further pressure surges are experienced, it will have to be further assumed that the shut-down on that main, since it is a major 12-inch water carrier, was the principle cause of the pressure surges. Day also reported that many of the water main pressure regulation valves in Moab's water system are over 20 years old. Malfunctions of these valves may also be a part of the problem, he said. The replacement of the water main across Mill Creek was necessitated by the construction of the new bridge, brid-ge, the design of which called for construction over the route of the pipe. Since this would have made the pipe inaccessible, inaccess-ible, it was replaced along a new route. A total of 418 feet of 12 inch cast iron pipe, especially lined for carrying "water, was laid by city crews. Cost of the pipe is $10.80 per foot. Mayor W.D. McDougald said Tuesday that since the system did not appear to be operating as it should, the engineering firm which originally origin-ally designed it was being contacted regarding the problem. prob-lem. He indicated the city will work with the engineers to take whatever corrective mea-sures mea-sures are needed. |