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CUC explains Kagman water outage
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Posted on Nov 08 2004
The Commonwealth Utilities Corp. operates 13 water wells in Kagman. These wells pump water to a 50,000 gallon tank and then it is boosted to a 1.0MG tank through three 40hp pumps (two operational and one on standby). Two months ago, the contractor was advised that the pumping rate of one of the pumps has greatly diminished and was asked to repair the problem under the project warranty. The contractor ordered the replacement part after learning that the pump impeller was already worn out.
Last week, the second pump experienced the same problem as Pump 1. With only one pump running now, the demand exceeded the one-pump capacity, resulting in low pressure or no water in elevated areas.
Because of this problem, the contractor ordered replacement impellers for all three pumps. One of the impellers is expected to arrive this week and the remaining two by mid-December. Note that impellers are not readily available off the shelf but have to be manufactured to individual pump specifications.
To minimize the inconvenience to Kagman residents, CUC installed a water standpipe near the four-way intersection by Santa Soledad where residents can haul water from. In addition, CUC is installing a temporary booster pump (taken from another booster station) to complement the single pump that is currently operating to meet service demand.
