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9.7.06 M.U.D. survives summer of high water demand Click here for water use statistics The Metropolitan Utilities District is closing the books on a tough summer of providing water to the Omaha area. Facing record-breaking demand at times, M.U.D. kept water flowing despite several troublesome system problems. By the end of July, metro-area residents were using so much water that the utility came within hours of issuing a request for people to voluntarily cut back. But a timely rain fell, and the request was never made. "It was, at times, a very interesting summer," Scott Keep, senior vice president, told the M.U.D. board Wednesday. Keep said May and June were difficult for M.U.D.'s system, with most problems fixed by early July. In May, a small chunk fell off the concrete-like exterior of a reservoir at 132nd and Harney Streets. The problem wasn't the missing chunk of concrete mortar, but what it revealed. Inside, several wires -- similar to rebar -- that helped hold the concrete wall in place had broken, raising questions about the structural integrity of the 6-million-gallon tank, Keep said. The problem was limited, however, and the tank was safe, he said. M.U.D. lowered the amount of water in the tank to below where the wires had broken, reducing the tank's capacity by about 33 percent. Repairs will be made this fall and winter. In June, customers set a record for water use for that month, and the high demand brought a number of mechanical problems. The biggest problem, Keep said, occurred the last Wednesday of June, when the shaft on a pump sheared in two. The pump, which helps move water from eastern Omaha to western Omaha, was disabled by the break. M.U.D. crews worked 12-hour shifts through the July Fourth holiday weekend to machine a new shaft and restore the pump. "I'm pretty proud of our folks," Keep said. In July, the district set an all-time monthly record for water use. System problems weren't as serious that month, but some of the district's main treatment basins began plugging, Keep said. Fortunately, consumer demand relented just as the basins began clogging, giving the district time to drain and clean them. An unusually rainy August saw a steep drop in water use. As a result, demand for the entire season was only slightly over the amount M.U.D. had budgeted -- despite the use records set in June and July. |
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