Staff at Austin Water hosted an open meeting on May 13 about the Ullrich Water Treatment Plant and discussed the site’s operations and noise management plan.
Westlake-area residents who live near the plant on Forrest View Drive say the noise from its 24/7 operations keeps them up at night and is distracting during the day. Several residents who spoke at the meeting said this has been a continuous problem and they can hear the plant in their homes with all the doors and windows closed.
Stephanie Sue, the operations manager for all three plants owned by Austin Water, said the utility has taken steps to reduce the din at Ullrich and will continue to do so when scheduling noisy but necessary cleaning procedures.
Many power units that failed during Texas freeze also failed in 2011 storm
As people froze to death or lost limbs to frostbite across Texas this February, dozens of the power plants entrusted to keep residents warm and safe faltered amid the unrelenting freeze just like they did in 2011.
Nearly 75% of power generation units that sustained outages 10 years ago, when another snow-and-ice storm packed unusual force, also had shutdowns or reduced electrical production during February s freeze, according to an American-Statesman analysis and this time they contributed to a near-collapse of the electricity grid that serves the bulk of the state as many additional units foundered as well.
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People wait in line for Fiesta Mart to open after the store lost electricity in Austin, Texas on February 17, 2021.
As the blackouts in Texas dragged on, millions of residents quickly realized they had more to worry about than trying to light and heat their homes. The water coming out their faucets was no longer safe to drink.
Like falling dominos, infrastructure around Texas, dependent on electricity, began failing in the extreme cold. In Austin, the Ullrich Water Treatment Plant shut down due to an electrical failure. That, combined with low water pressure from broken pipes, meant residents had to boil their water.
How Giant Batteries Are Protecting The Most Vulnerable In Blackouts
As the blackouts in Texas dragged on, millions of residents quickly realized they had more to worry about than trying to light and heat their homes. The water coming out their faucets was no longer safe to drink.
Like falling dominos, infrastructure around Texas, dependent on electricity, began failing in the extreme cold. In Austin, the Ullrich Water Treatment Plant shut down due to an electrical failure. That, combined with low water pressure from broken pipes, meant residents had to boil their water.
Blackouts are becoming increasingly common as extreme weather causes electricity demand to skyrocket, while simultaneously damaging the aging electric grid. Climate change-driven disasters, like more intense storms and hurricanes, only increase that risk.