JOPLIN, Mo. —
The May 22 tornado has caused a dramatic drop in water usage for the Missouri American Water Co., but things are starting to turn around — one reconnection at a time.
The company lost 3,900 to 4,000 water meter and service connections on May 22. Before the tornado, the system had approximately 24,500 meters.
Thousands of open lines permitted water to bleed from the system in something similar to death-by-a-thousand cuts.
Matt Barnhart, head of the water company, in a recent telephone interview recalled how the water company responded with maximum pumpage after the tornado.
“We were pumping at full capacity — 27 million gallons a day from our wells and Shoal Creek — just to stabilize it,’’ he said. “We gave it everything we had.’’
Within three days, company workers had identified and shut down the biggest leaks, and restored water to hydrants for fire protection in the tornado damage zone. With so much wooden debris on the ground, the possibility of fire was a major concern.
Over the summer, water usage continued at a high rate because the area was experiencing a heat wave and mini-drought. Contractors also were using water to wet down debris during removal.
Even with nearly 4,000 meters out of service, the company was pumping at near peak levels in August.
A mild winter, so far, has helped homebuilders forge ahead in the damage zone.
“Joplin is moving,” Barnhart said. “We are rebuilding. Last month, our reconnections picked up thanks to a very mild winter.’’
So far, the company has had 1,700 new residential connections since the tornado. The number includes the new meters for Federal Emergency Management Agency trailers.
“The 1,700 is a bit inflated because of the FEMA trailers,” Barnhart said. “We had about 300 FEMA connections. If you take them out, we’ve got about 1,400 connections back. We need more than 2,400 connections” to be back in the area of pre-storm numbers. Barnhart noted that the 1,400 connections include single connections at apartment buildings with multiple residences.
On the commercial side, the company lost 490 connections. So far, 190 have been restored.
“We continue to be busy in the local office with contractors and developers coming in to establish service for a wide variety of projects,’’ Barnhart said. “It’s clear we are rebuilding, and I’m very excited about that.’’
Clear picture
It was not until January that the company got a clear sense of how much usage had fallen systemwide. In January 2011, the company pumped 360,953,000 gallons of water. This January, the company pumped 304,723,000 gallons.
May 2011 Joplin tornado
Related Photos
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Matt Andrews, a worker with Missouri American Water Co., guides equipment Friday afternoon in connection with a water main project at 28th Street and Bird Avenue. Company officials are crediting a mild winter for contributing to the company’s reconnections since the May 22 tornado. GLOBE | T. ROB BROWN
Discussion
Water company cites reconnections
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