Water tower activation delayed again
Water towers are still delayed
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The activation of two new water towers scheduled for this month has been postponed for three months.
A previous test of the water towers on Holly Road and Rand Morgan Road determined that old pipes couldn't handle the extra water pressure the towers provide.
"We've been diligently replacing water lines, and working through that process," Assistant Director for Water Quality and Treatment Gabriel Ramirez said. "Once that process is done, we're going to give these (water towers) a go, and that should be in April."
The city will use the extra time to replace more water lines.
"The last attempt that we did to put those online, we did find some weak points in the distribution system," Ramirez said.
Ramirez said there's a second reason for the delay. Over the next three months, the city will calculate wastewater rates for the next year. The extra water pressure the towers would have provided could have possibly led to more water than usual coming through your home. That could have left you with too high of a rate.
"We're currently doing the wastewater calculations for winter quarter averaging." Ramirez said. "We want to do what's best for the customer and hold off on (activating the water towers) until April."
Ramirez said it's worth the wait.
"It'll have benefits, because an increase in water pressure is a benefit for the customer as well as an increase in water quality," Ramirez said. "Whenever water's moving faster there's less water-age that could happen which means more fresh water throughout the distribution system which means better water quality."
The added water pressure from the new water towers is something lifelong Corpus Christi resident David Powell is looking forward to.
"We kind of limit it to one shower at a time actually, because if you get two people taking a shower -- even in a three thousand square foot home -- there's not that much pressure to go around," Powell said.