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San Antonio Water System decided not to take some advice 5 years ago: Buy emergency pump generators
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A SAWS crew works on a water main break at 452 Mitchell on Feb. 20 in the aftermath of a week of freezing temperatures.Ronald Cortes /Contributor /
Five years ago, an Austin consulting firm assessed the possible harm that disasters, natural and manmade, could inflict on San Antonio. It recommended that the city-owned San Antonio Water System buy generators to back up its pumping stations in case of significant power outages.
In a 2015 report commissioned by the city and written with input from the water utility, disaster consulting firm H2O Partners said the generators could prove useful during a calamity caused by a terrorist attack, tornado or winter freeze. SAWS could keep clean water flowing to residents, businesses, hospitals and police and fire stations.
Water pressure in San Antonio area plummets, prompting boil water advisory
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Robert Puente, president and CEO of the San Antonio Water System, acknowledged Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, that the utility could have done a better job communicating with customers about water supply and pressure disruptions, the result of the severe winter weather.Marvin Pfeiffer /Staff photographer
The severe winter weather that knocked out power to much of San Antonio also disrupted water service citywide as the San Antonio Water System issued a precautionary boil water notice to all customers Wednesday when pressure dropped to potentially hazardous levels.
Steve Clouse, senior vice president and chief operating officer at SAWS, said water pressure throughout the system worsened Wednesday as pipes on private property began to thaw out, crack and spring leaks after days of below freezing temperatures.
Snowmen melted to wash dishes, flush toilets as water issues continue to affect San Antonio residents
Residents are experiencing everything from no water to broken pipes
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Perez said she and her neighbors have been without water since Monday.
“They turn the electricity on. They turn down water. No water. I mean, it’s ridiculous,” Perez said. “I got three grandkids, you know. We got elderly that lived next door to us, an elderly man that lives next door to them.”
Perez said she and her neighbors have resorted to collecting water in kiddie pools, buckets and even melting them in pots to have water for everyday use.
Posted By Sanford Nowlin on Wed, Feb 17, 2021 at 3:44 PM click to enlarge San Antonio Water System will join Texas cities such as Corpus Christi, Arlington and Fort Worth this afternoon by issuing a boil-water notice, CEO Robert Puente said during an emergency city council meeting. This is a precautionary boil-water notice, Puente said, explaining that state regulators require residents to boil water they consume when water pressure is low. The order will not apply to water used for bathing and other uses. If you re going to consume water from your tap, boil it, he added. During this week s crippling winter storm, power outages have plagued SAWS s pumping stations, which has led to low pressure or a complete lack of water in some neighborhoods. Puente said the utility will continue to have problems with its pump stations as long as the intermittent power co