By Joanne Baiely-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

The City of Wyoming has completed the unplanned emergency repair on the larger of two water transmission mains and lifted the Sprinkling Ban at 11 p.m. Wednesday night. The repair, which began the morning of Aug. 11, impacted 13 West Michigan communities. Good weather and hard work from two contractors, Kamminga & Roodvoets and Prein & Newhof, allowed the project to be completed ahead of schedule, restoring full water capacity to the 230,000 people served by Wyoming’s system.

 

Together, the two water transmission mains can carry up to 104 million gallons of clean, drinkable water each day. During the repair, the larger of the two transmission lines was out of service and the water system capacity was limited to about 35 million gallons of water per day. To maintain safe water and avoid boil advisories that are issued when a total loss of water pressure occurs, a Sprinkling Ban was put in place.

“The ban was so that when people turned on the facet they would not just get a trickle of water, or worst yet, no water at all,” said Myron Erickson, director of the city’s Department of Public Works, at the city council meeting on Aug. 17.

With summer water demand at 70 million gallons per day on average, customers were collectively asked to reduce their water consumption by more than 35 million gallons per day, which could be accomplished through observing the Sprinkling Ban. The ban was a success. The West Michigan communities served by the plant showed up for each other by reducing the average daily demand on the Wyoming Treatment Plant to an average of 33.6 million gallons per day. This was achieved by complying with the Sprinkling Ban and helping spread the message about the emergency repair.

“We want to thank all of the water customers who did their part to pause their sprinkling habits, reduce water consumption, and help us spread the message to their neighbors, family, and friends. It’s rare to have an unplanned repair like this and to happen during peak demand was not ideal. We were in a serious situation that could have resulted in boil advisories,” Erickson said. “Fortunately, with the help of our amazing community members actively conserving water and our municipal partnerships, we were able to maintain our water pressure and provide clean, potable water throughout the nine-day repair.”

Staff at the Wyoming Treatment Plant acted quickly to address this unexpected, emergency repair. Erickson said, “going from a report of a suspected leak to a completed repair in less than three weeks is a fast turnaround for a water transmission main this size. Typically, these replacement parts are made to order and can take three weeks to make and deliver to the site. Luckily, one matching the size needed was found in Indiana. Ultimately, the success of this repair could not have been accomplished without intercommunity action to reduce water demand and a highly efficient and professional contractor.”

 

After nine days of repairs, the emergency project is finished. By completing five days ahead of schedule, the Sprinkling Ban has been lifted earlier than anticipated. The efforts by the entire community helped maintain adequate water pressure, avoiding the serious risk of depressurization and boil advisories. 

For more information about the transmission main repair, visit www.wyomingmi.gov/SprinklingBan.

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