Remnants of January’s winter storm finally melted away as warmer weather replaced weeks of arctic air. Several inches of snow combined with ice and bitter cold temperatures created prime conditions for water main breaks as the water temperature dropped leaving the Crescent Hill Water Treatment Plant.
Louisville Water crews repaired more than 100 main breaks last month, with the majority of those being smaller pipes in neighborhoods. While you may’ve seen our employees working outside, countless people at our treatment plants, labs, and offices worked behind the scenes. It’s truly a team effort to ensure high-quality Louisville Pure Tap® flows out of your faucet.
The surge in breaks kept distribution water quality specialists like Bruce Pruitt busy. Part of his job takes him out in the field to collect water samples which our scientists test to confirm optimal water quality. As the water main break reports trickled in, Pruitt and his coworkers divided up the list.
“We’ve been coming in and sampling anywhere from eight to 13 (sites a day),” Pruitt said, adding that if the pipe “didn’t lose pressure, we are not required by the state to sample.”
There are many situations where our crews will fix a water main “under pressure”, meaning the water is still on and customers never lose water service.
Pruitt said, “If they (crews) have to eventually shut off the water on each side of the main break to fix it,” then that’s when he and others will go collect samples. They’re looking at the turbidity of the water, essentially how clear or cloudy the water appears and the particles it contains. They test the chlorine levels while the scientists will check for any bacteria. To limit the chances of obtaining a bad sample, the specialists are extremely cautious. They sanitize the surface of the fire hydrant or pipe where they fill the sample bottle, and they clean their hands before touching the bottle.
The distribution water quality team samples from two different sources, one on each side of where the pipe broke. This allows them to encompass the area where the water coming from that pipe serves homes and businesses. The jar sample is tracked from beginning to end.
“It’s our chain of custody; a state requirement which comes down through the EPA. They can track that sample. It shows what time I collected the sample, what time I dropped it off at the lab, it shows what time the lab person takes possession of it,” Pruitt explained.
He said it typically takes about 24 hours to receive results to ensure Louisville Water is delivering high-quality drinking water in the area near the pipe repair.