Austin Water has put out a call to its southwest Austin customers, urging a conservative approach to water use this Friday. In anticipation of a significant repair operation on a 48-inch water line near the Davis Lane pump station, the utility encourages restraint to maintain pressure throughout the network. As reported by the Austin American Statesman, the affected regions include council Districts 5 and 8 as well as customers such as Shady Hollow, High Valley Water Supply Corp., and Mid-Tex Utility.
The utility has identified the leak at a joint between pipes, demanding that the water main be temporarily shut down for up to 12 hours to facilitate repairs, according to Shay Ralls Roalson, Austin Water Director. Roalson explained the importance of this pipe to the region in a statement obtained by the Austin American Statesman, remarking, "The reason why we wanted to be sure that we were in really good communication with our community about this particular one is because of the importance of this pipeline to serving Southwest Austin."
To mitigate the impact of the repairs, Austin Water is filling reservoirs Thursday night to capacity and has established a water distribution point at Bowie High School. Residents and businesses are advised to store at least one gallon of water per person by Thursday for essential use, in the event of service disruption. Randi Jenkins, Austin Water's assistant director of customer experience, underscored the preemptive measures, telling KXAN, “There is a small leak at the joints. If it is not addressed, it becomes a worse leak and so taking care of this now on a large water main is a priority for us.”
Jenkins further stressed the importance of community cooperation, saying that the "major thing we are asking the community to do in the southwest area of Austin is to conserve water." This conservation effort includes deferring tasks such as outdoor watering, power washing, and washing cars, as detailed in a KXAN interview. Austin Water assures that water quality will not suffer due to the repairs, with Roalson noting that the department has "processes and procedures in place to make sure that everything gets disinfected and flushed before the pipe is put back into service."
With temperatures expected to hit the mid-90s, National Weather Service meteorologist Bob Fogarty has predicted conditions similar to previous days, which could compound the pressure on the water system. In light of this, the utility's plea for conservation could not be timelier, aiming to avert strain on the infrastructure during a season of heightened water use. Customers will be notified upon completion of the repairs via the Austin Water portal.
