FAYETTEVILLE -- A break in one of the two big pipes that carry water to Fayetteville from Beaver Lake has officials asking residents and businesses to cut back on water use until the line is back in service, likely later this weekend.
The break also effects Elkins, Farmington, Greenland, West Fork, Goshen, Wheeler, the southern part of Johnson and the Mount Olive and Round Mountain rural water systems whose water passes through Fayetteville.
A 42-inch reinforced concrete line broke near the Beaver Water District plant in Lowell on Wednesday, city officials said. There was a power failure at the water plant and when the power came back on, the water pressure surge damaged the line.
About 40 feet of the pipe had to be replaced. That work was completed about noon Friday, then the line was pressurized, according to Tim Nyander, Fayetteville utilities director.
The water has to be tested to make sure it's safe before the tap is turned back on. Testing takes 24 hours and Nyander said he expects the results about 5 p.m. today.
In the interim, the water level in the city's storage tanks have been dropping because Fayetteville customers use about 20 million gallons of water a day and Beaver Water can only pump about 13 to 14 million gallons a day through the 36-inch line, Alan Fortenberry, CEO of Beaver Water, said.
Nyander said conservation efforts should continue until water is flowing again.
"The city has already gone into conservation mode and communicated with major customers and is now asking residents to join our efforts," according to a news release from the city issued midday Friday. "Please restrict water usage to drinking, cooking, and personal hygiene. Automatic irrigation and sprinkler systems should be temporarily shut off. Please avoid any unnecessary water usage (such as washing vehicles, pressure washing, etc.) until repairs are completed."
The University of Arkansas and major industries and businesses in Fayetteville were asked to conserve water as well.
The university is one of the largest customers in Fayetteville, and facilities management worked to reduce water use as much as possible, officials said Friday.
In addition to asking everyone on campus to reduce the amount of water they use, the Division of Agriculture stopped using city water to irrigate at the Agri Farm along Garland Avenue. Laboratories and researchers were asked to conserve water wherever possible, the dining halls turned to paper plates and plastic utensils to reduce the need to wash dishes, refilling the HPER pool was postponed and the fountains on campus were turned off.
The two water lines, a 36-inch line and a 42-inch line, provide Fayetteville with water from the Beaver Water District plant. Crews discovered a major leak Wednesday and shut off the larger line after filling storage tanks, according to city officials.
Mark Rogers, water and sewer operations manager for the city, said Friday crews began working on the line Wednesday evening. The smaller line remained operational throughout, he said.
Once the pipe was back together and water supply turned on, Beaver Water District planned to test the water at its lab and, if it is found to be safe, distribution can resume, according to Fortenberry.
Fayetteville will release updated information through media releases and its website, Facebook, and Twitter.
NW News on 08/15/2015