Great Bend Public Works Director Jason Cauley wants to make it clear to residents that he is just as bothered by the persistent leaking water meters as they are.
“It’s frustrating,” he said Thursday afternoon as Public Works Department Water Division crews were out mucking through murky water in excavated meter pits. “We’re just trying to get this fixed.”
They are tackling five leaky meters each week, he said. “We have 40 on our list, and that has dwindled down from the 70 we had at the start.”
His staff had been working at a quicker clip, he said. They utilized “meter bends,” basically allowing them to patch in a single new piece of pipe.
“That saved a lot of time,” he said. But, “we no longer have the parts for a quick fix” due to issues with the manufacturer not being able to keep up with the demand here and nationwide.
So, now they have to dig up the meter pit and install a “setter.” This entails the excavation, taking the meter off-line, removing the meter, and putting in new inflow and outflow pipes, which is much more time-consuming.
On Wednesdays, the city calls utility companies to get the “dig safe” green light for five more locations for the next week. The work is done over three days: On day one, they excavate; day two, they place the setter; and on day three, they backfill the holes, which are several feet wide and several feet deep.
“We hope to continue at this pace,” he said. But, that depends on other circumstances such as other water-related emergencies that may require attention.
If citizens feel they have had damages done to their yard, Cauley said they can file a claim with the city insurance company. The insurance company would make the final determination.
What is the issue?
The city just wrapped up a $2.4 million project to replace all of the roughly 6,600 water meters on the city-owned water utility with a new automated meter reading system. Zenner USA of Banning, Calif., was the general contractor and Municipal Install of St. Louis, Mo., was the subcontractor putting the meters in place.
After the installation, the leaks started, Cauley said.
“We were expecting some of this,” he said. “But, not at this scale.”
There were several reasons for this, he said. These include the city’s aging water infrastructure and the gaskets originally used for the project that didn’t perform as planned.
Either way, water seeped through and ate away at the face of the meters.
“This is all part of the process,” Cauley said, noting it is not the fault of Zenner nor Municipal Install. “They’ve been great to work with.”
Why replace the meters?
The city applied for and received a loan through the Kansas Public Water Supply Loan Fund to cover the expense.
This is seen as a way to improve accuracy in tracking consumer water use and save the city money. By alleviating the city’s long-running water meter reading woes, it is expected to pay for itself in five to 10 years.
For questions or concerns, contact Cauley at 620-793-4150 or jcauley@greatbendks.net.
