Broken valve triggers water supply emergency on Mercer Island
Mercer Island residents are being asked to conserve water until further notice after Seattle Public Utilities crews encountered an “unexpected problem” during construction work on Wednesday.
Seattle Public Utilities informed Mercer Island that repairs to the water supply line could not be completed until Thursday morning.
After crews completed a repair on a broken pipe Thursday morning, another one failed in a different location. The pipe has since been fixed, but the city is asking residents to continue conservation efforts for another two to three days until water levels are back to normal.
The island’s water system is operating from reserve tanks and residents are asked to conserve water as much as possible to help maintain the tanks’ supply.
“By conserving as much water as possible, Islanders can help keep enough water in the reservoir tanks to maintain pressure. Please continue to minimize water use until further notice,” the city said.
Crews were doing planned construction work on the supply lines that provide water to the island when the problem occurred, according to a community alert issued by the city.
SPU started conducting emergency repair work to fix the supply lines and reconnect the island’s main water supply.
The Mercer Island School District said that it will operate on a two-hour delay on Thursday due to the issue. Morning preschool is canceled.
An emergency proclamation is in effect for the entire island.
“Normally, the Island’s reservoir tanks contain enough water to supply Mercer Island for several days when needed. However, the Island has already been operating from these reservoir tanks for the past 65 hours due to Seattle Public Utilities’ previously scheduled work on their supply lines to the Island. SPU crews encountered a seized valve when attempting to reconnect these supply lines at the end of this maintenance work (on Tuesday), meaning the Island’s water system must continue to rely on the reservoir tanks until that valve can be replaced and the water supply can be reconnected,” the city said Wednesday.
If reservoir water levels drop to a certain point, a precautionary boil water notice could be issued. The city said that has not been necessary yet since “residents are doing a great job of conserving water.”
At this time, there is no impact on water quality and safety.
Residents experiencing water issues at their homes or businesses can contact the city’s customer service team at 206-275-7600.
“The City is working closely with our regional emergency partners to maintain essential services and is in close consultation with Department of Health water safety experts. The Mercer Island Fire Department and partner fire agencies have coordinated and implemented a comprehensive plan to ensure we have the necessary resources on the island to continue to provide Fire and emergency medical services without disruption, which includes providing specialized apparatus and doubling our current on-island staffing. Our Emergency Management team will also be activating the Island’s emergency well for an additional local source of water,” the city said.
Food service establishments like restaurants, schools, groceries, hotels that serve food, etc. should review Public Health’s webpage for operating under a boil water advisory.
“Islanders may want to consider alternate accommodations off-Island while work continues to restore full water service. The City is in constant communication with Seattle Public Utilities to keep the community informed,” the city said.
Additional updates will be shared as they are available.
