Washington State boil water advisory reveals problems with existing infrastructure
(UI) – Snohomish County in Washington experienced a small water main break in late January 2023. While the city was able to repair the rupture, a second break followed the next day, prompting a boil water advisory that is still in effect.
The boil water advisory has revealed multiple problems with the city’s infrastructure. For example, a 14 mile water transmission line that used to supply Snohomish when it was connected to a water treatment plant near Granite Falls is now irrelevant now that the plant has been decommissioned.
However, the few customers still residing on the line can’t be left without water. To fix the problem, the city is working with a contractor to connect the aging transmission line to a new location, which will remove about half a mile of old piping.
Once the line is fixed, the city will need to conduct water pressure tests before lifting the boil water advisory.
While this solves one pressing issue, a problem still remains: old left-over infrastructure that continues to degrade.
The Mayor of Snohomish said, “the work being done for this current event will also inform our ongoing evaluation of the status of our infrastructure and help us form a strategic plan to address the problems. Our goal is to preserve and strengthen our community, especially our vital infrastructure.”
Problems with aging infrastructure are common in Washington. The state received a “C-“ on infrastructure and even lower in drinking water when the American Society of Civil Engineers last graded the communities.
"Many smaller jurisdictions are limited in resources and are not able to provide consistent preventative maintenance to their systems, which leads to more emergency repairs," the report said. "As infrastructure ages, these types of repairs become costly for systems that are not well maintained or funded."
Residents in Snohomish County hope to experience fewer boil water advisories as new fixes to existing infrastructure take place.
This story was originally reported by Fox 13 Seattle.
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