Report Problem
Translate
Mother Nature reminded us loud and clear that winter is just getting started when it dumped 10 inches of snow across Louisville and surrounding counties. Louisville Water has weathered the winter storm, and we’re prepared for the encore performance this weekend.
“We’ve been fortunate that we haven’t had a huge spike in water main breaks. That’s allowed us to cut back on the number of crews driving on the roads because many of the side streets are still icy. As we get ready for this next round of weather, we have additional crews scheduled to work the weekend and overnight shifts when there’s less traffic,” said Communications Specialist Kathleen Speicher.
Louisville Water’s winter preparations started in the fall. Employees marked off the checklist of tasks which included inspecting our company salt trucks, ensuring adequate inventory of supplies, winterizing hydrants, creating on-call schedules, and updating the list of emergency contacts and operational procedures.
All that planning helps make for a smoother response when main breaks do happen, like this one Tuesday night at Second and Magnolia streets.
“Historically, when the water cools below 39 degrees, we typically see an increase in main breaks. There is no reason to believe that it won’t happen this year,” explained Scott Smith, Louisville Water’s director of production operations.
Smith spent the night at the Crescent Hill Water Treatment Plant last weekend in case he needed to jump in to help.
“At least two people are at Crescent Hill every night regardless of the weather. Because of the uncertainty with the weather and the ice, I wanted to make sure that staff had all the support they needed during the severe weather event. I wanted to be safer than sorry for sure. You gotta be prepared for things that aren’t expected,” he said.
From overnights at the treatment plant to repairing pipes in bitter cold, managing winter weather is a company-wide focus.
“In times like these, all employees step up in a big way to ensure our customers don’t lose water service,” said Operations Supervisor Steve Witt.
Speaking of water service, Louisville Water wants to help you avoid a busted pipe and costly mess in your home. Protect your home and your wallet with these simple tips.
