Town water crew responds to 2 big leaks

To The Eagle:

The town’s water system has had two large leaks this past week. During both events, there were neighbors who helped trouble shoot which I sincerely appreciate. Our leak on 3rd Street has really damaged the road there, and I will work to get that fixed as quickly as possible.

The other leak, which we had a hard time finding, will be much more difficult to repair. It occurred on Sunday night and caused homeowners effected to have low to no pressure at their homes. We lost about a quarter of our reservoir storage in around two hours; this could have filled the pool in about 90 minutes!

So a few things come to mind with these leaks:

1) When something unusual happens with your water supply, please call quickly. The big leak damage was reduced because a homeowner called straight away to notify the town that something weird was going on.

2) Sheriff Howie and County Emergency Manager Beau Renfro were on scene helping the Town staff. The reverse 911 system was used to tell those impacted what was going on. A two hour outage is a considerable inconvenience, but are you ready for three days with no water? Please prepare for the earthquake starting now if you haven’t already.

3) Know where your home’s water and other utility shut off valves are located. Practice turning these off before it is raining and dark and you are fumbling with a shovel in the mud.

My last thought is that I am very lucky to be able to call David McNally and Terry Vik my colleagues. Those guys worked clear through the night one night and well into the night a few days later. Doing your job doesn’t make you a hero, but having a good attitude at 4 a.m. when you are wet and frustrated--that surely does.

Duncan Cruickshank

Cathlamet Public Works Superintendent