Water Issues Hit Victoria as Tank Maintenance Begins

VICTORIA – Town of Victoria employees spent much of Monday and all day Tuesday trying to fix some water issues within the town after the elevated water tank in the town was recently taken off-line in order to provide maintenance to the structure.

As the water switched to ground level tanks and through the water filtration and other pumps in the town, there were some resulting issues such as water discoloration and fluctuating water pressure, and even leaks took place.

One of the large leaks in the town occurred on Tuesday and resulted in the loss of water in the town that morning. This ultimately led to Lunenburg County Public Schools having to release students early as a result of not having water for the students and staff.

Town workers could be seen working diligently in the pouring rain on Tuesday as they worked to fix a line along Court Street that had broken. The broken line coupled with heavy rain throughout the night had workers literally diving down under the water in an attempt to fix the problem. They were able to get the issue under control and restore water back to the town despite the tough conditions.

Town officials released the following information late last week: “Exterior work begins today, Thursday, August 24th, on the elevated water tank. Crews will be power washing the exterior to get it ready for a new coat of paint. Work on the interior of the tank will begin early next week. During the work on the elevated tank, Victoria Water Works will be providing water using the ground level storage tank and pumps.”

The Town of Victoria contracted with Southern Corrosion, Inc. to provide maintenance services on the town’s water storage tanks located near the corner of Court Street and Main Street and on Mecklenburg Avenue.  Maintenance of these facilities is essential to the integrity of the system.  Through this maintenance agreement, Southern Corrosion will inspect, repair, clean, and paint the tanks on a scheduled rotation to keep the tanks in optimal operating condition.

The elevated water tank located near the intersection of Mecklenburg Avenue and W. 1st Street was built in the late 1920’s and has served the town since then.  The tank has been maintained, as needed, in the past but the town council felt that in order to protect the facility and to keep it in optimal condition it is best to have regularly scheduled inspections, repairs from those inspections, and maintenance.

Southern Corrosion expects the rehabilitation will take approximately eight weeks. The elevated water tank helps produce the normal operating water pressure on the system; however, during the time the tank is out of service pressure will be maintained using pumps with the ground level storage tank as well as the pumps at the water treatment facility.

It is anticipated that the work should be completed near the end of October with the elevated tank completely rehabilitated and in service.