High praise goes to Truth or Consequences City Manager Gary Whitehead for issuing a “boil your water” advisory notice on August 31.
He announced the advisory had been lifted at the Sept. 9 city commission meeting. Testing showed no contamination.
He told city commissioners he issued the boil order after familiarizing himself with New Mexico Environment Department requirements.
It’s doubtful that previous city managers were as informed, responsible and forthright, because this is the first boil order I’ve seen.
No boil orders until now despite similar water-pressure losses that risk backwash and infiltration from cracked pipes–many of which lay in moist ground parallel and near cracked sewer pipes.
Besides cracked pipes, T or C’s water system is vulnerable to contamination because it is missing, can’t locate or has damaged pressure relief valves that regulate pressure and allow the city to isolate problem areas. Most cities have “water zones” designated within their systems. I asked the last city water department head, Arnie Castenada, where these zones are, and he said the city didn’t have them. That means contamination in one area could spread throughout the system.
A solution is coming though. WSPI 1, or Water System Performance Improvements 1, is soon to start, which will put in many pressure relief valves, will address pressure issues, as well as making their locations known on a computer map and model that can run tests and scenarios that will help prioritize repairs and maintenance to prevent future crises.
Whitehead was forthright enough to reveal that the water system’s computer system, SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition), wasn’t working well enough to sound the alarm that the northern water tanks were down to a dangerous level and that well number six’s pump had failed.
That’s distressing, especially since the city paid about $10 million for the Main Street District or MSD water project, completed last year, which included putting in a SCADA system.
The SCADA miss is being investigated, Whitehead said.