A deeper look into MUD's voluntary water restrictions

OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The burst pipe that caused the Metropolitan Utilities District to issue voluntary water restrictions was scheduled for replacement later this year, a MUD spokesperson told 3 News Now on Tuesday.

But on July 25, the pipe burst at the Florence Water Production Facility while a contractor was working in the area. The concrete support structure around the pipe, a transmission main that's four feet in diameter, was "compromised" near the work, the MUD spokesperson said. That caused a major leak that flooded the area that includes water pumps and electrical equipment.

But what exactly happened remains unclear. When 3 News Now asked if a mistake was made during the work in the area, a spokesperson wrote back that the break is under investigation.

3 News Now set out to learn more about the unique situation that led to MUD suggesting that voluntary water restrictions are necessary to prevent mandatory restrictions. The utility declined two interview requests this week but answered some questions via email.

MUD is asking that its water customers limit outdoor water usage to just two days a week. It says customers at homes ending in even home address numbers should water on two days out of Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday. Otherwise, water on two days out of Wednesday, Friday or Sunday. It says that means no filling pools, running decorative fountains, or watering the yard unless for new sod.

It expects the Florence plant, operating at about 25% capacity, to be at reduced capacity for another month. The two other plants, Platte West and Platte South, form a "triangle of reliability," MUD said, and have at times run at full capacity.

"Even with this current limitation, with our customer’s cooperation, we are comfortable with the cushion between customer demand and production capabilities," wrote Stephanie Mueller, MUD's vice president of customer experience. "Barring an unforeseen circumstance, we don’t anticipate any mandatory announcements."

The utility said it does not have a price estimate for the damage, but said the complexity of the repair and supply chain challenges have contributed to the length of the problem.

"The District is taking steps to protect its ratepayers from absorbing the costs to repair and restore," the spokesperson wrote.

3 News Now asked what those steps are.

"We are pursuing multiple approaches to mitigate any impact on rates from this incident," the next email read.

MUD's full statements are below.

On July 25, a contractor was performing planned work at our Florence Water Production Facility. Work was being performed near a 48” diameter transmission main when a plug and backing block on the main failed, causing a major leak of water that flooded the surrounding area including District water pumps and electrical equipment. Due to the complex nature of the work and the replacement parts not being readily available, Florence is expected to remain at reduced capacity (currently around 25%) for another month. We expect our voluntary outdoor watering restrictions to continue during that time. The District is taking steps to protect its ratepayers from absorbing the costs to repair and restore.

Our community is fortunate to have several water sources, including the Missouri and Platte Rivers and the Dakota sandstone aquifer. Water is pumped from intakes and wells maintained by the District. We operate three water treatment facilities— Florence, Platte West and Platte South — forming a “Triangle of Reliability.” This system provides a reliable water supply while allowing the District to take facilities off line as needed for system improvements. We also operate and maintain more than 3,000 miles of distribution mains to deliver an annualized average of 90 million gallons of water per day to the community, and we maintain more than 27,000 hydrants for fire protection.

M.U.D. is grateful for the community support this past month as our employees work round the clock to restore our facility to peak operational condition. The patience and understanding of our customer-owners has been unwavering and through their support, the District has been able to meet customer demand every day.

After a follow-up email from 3 News Now, the utility provided this response:

A transmission main is typically a large diameter pipe that transmits high volumes of water from the main supply, or source, to a distant area where the water is disbursed through distribution lines. The transmission main is still undergoing repairs and the reduced capacity is coming from alternate pipe. The transmission main failed when the backing block and plug (poured concrete in and around the main to support it) was compromised near work being performed. This particular main was scheduled to be replaced later this year as part of our ongoing capital improvement project.

While demand always fluctuates based on time of year, temperatures, and precipitation, during this time when the capacity at our Florence plant has been reduced, the other two plants have supplemented production. At times, those plants have been at 100% of their capacity. We are very appreciative of the fact that our customers are cooperating with our voluntary requests. We have a very robust and reliable water production system. Even with this current limitation, with our customer’s cooperation, we are comfortable with the cushion between customer demand and production capabilities. Barring an unforeseen circumstance, we don’t anticipate any mandatory announcements. We are pursuing multiple approaches to mitigate any impact on rates from this incident.

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