We are coming up on one week since Navasota issued a boil water notice for the city, after a large break in a main water line in town. After a week of wintery weather, finally there was some light shed on what happened by City Manager Brad Stafford during the latest Grilling Stafford episode.
He says it was the contractors replacing the sewers in the Railroad Street project that triggered the domino effect.
“Do not really know exactly what happened. But, they got into, and cut, a 12 inch water main, we are still working on how, why and what. But, the main thing was that the excavator hit the main, tore a gash into the pipe, and drained all the water out of our tanks,” said Stafford.
He was also asked during the episode if the contractor will be held liable for the salaries of the city staff that had to work on fixing the broken pipe last Thursday night.
“More than likely they are going to be responsible for several things. We are still working on that. The main goal was to get water back up, and running. Then, of course, the second we get it back up and running, we get freezing rain, snow. We really have not had the opportunity to work on that since Thursday night. I mean, that is all we have worked on, but as far as talking to our contractor,” Stafford said.
The boil water notice does remain in effect for the city. So, what has been the hold up on making sure the water is safe?
“We have to take bacteria samples to an independent lab. Unfortunately, we have not been able to do that. Because of the weather, they have been closed,” Stafford said.
He said they had planned to do it Wednesday, but could not because of the weather.
The city remind folks to conserve as much water as they can, as low water pressure remains a critical concern across the city.
For questions, contact them at 936-825-6475.
