Never a dull moment goes by for the City of Elizabethton Water Resources Department.
Action has been hot and heavy within the Stateline community over the past couple of weeks as the department addresses the issue of water pressure.
“We actually had small, galvanized lines on this and it fed back into the far-reaching communities,”Department Construction Manager Jim Roberts said Thursday while looking over crews on the road. “We didn’t have enough water volume to make it to those backstreets, like Earl Avenue for example. We first had to come down and lay larger water lines down this road. This community will have a brand new water system.”
Water pressure has been an issue, according to Compliance Coordinator Jonathan Pleasant. To address the matter, the department installed a new booster water pump to up the water pressure.
“This booster pump is what’s going to make it possible,” Roberts said. “Pressure is low … you’re going uphill, so the elevation causes you to lose the weight. That’s what’s the booster pump does; it allows these houses to receive the proper amount of pressure.”
Roberts indicated that pressure from Hatcher Lane and Stateline Road would roughly be around 120 to 130 pounds. As the water moves up in elevation to Bishop Circle and other roads, citizens will receive around 60 pounds of pressure.”
Roberts added the hope is to wrap up work soon on Stateline Road with the county looking to repave the stretch of roadway. Pleasant added the city and county have a great standing partnership and that the department appreciates the support of Superintendent Roger Colbaugh’s staff.
Once an area is complete, the Department goes back through to fix any serious cosmetic issues.
While addressing a water system that has been relatively looked over in the past, Roberts added the plan of attack is isolating small communities. The idea also allows the department to save costs to residents by maximizing their works to the best of their abilities.
“We’re trying to isolate small sections and do those each time,” Roberts said. “Maybe we can see a reduction in water loss when we go about it that way. It’s hard to go citywide and do a street in Milligan then do a street in Elizabethton.”
The pilot location in the East Side community has been able to reap the success of work, according to Pleasant, as water loss has gone down in the area.
Roberts added that once Stateline Road work is completed, the department will wait for roughly around a month to begin work in the Golf Course Acres community. Eagle Drive, in the community, has already received new pipes. Roberts added that work in the community won’t be as severe as Stateline with no water pump having to be installed.
“We understand that it can be a hassle,” Roberts said. “The pipes have come of age to the point now that they can’t be fixed. They need to be replaced.