Residents advised to conserve water until pumps are operational
Sunday’s weather may have hurt the town’s access to water.
As of Tuesday morning, all five Variable Frequency Drives (VFD), which enable water wells to pump water, have stopped working .
Three of the well pumps are pulling over average, meaning that they are totally non-functional.
Saratoga town engineer Chuck Bartlett said it was unclear what specifically caused the VFDs stop function.
“I’m not sure if it got hit with lightening or over-voltage. One or the other, it causes the same problem,” Bartlett said.
Bartlett said that the water level in the tanks are currently sitting at fifty-three and one half feet and “are decreasing more rapidly than we had hoped.”
Electricians were out at the well field check the pumps Tuesday morning to see if the other two pumps that may be salvageable. If they are still able to function, those pumps can be hardwired to still maintain water for the town.
“We’re lucky that this time of year that we only use around 100,000 gallons a day so we can maintain with one pump,” Bartlett said.
If no pumps are able to be salvaged in a timely fashion, Bartlett said he will be calling around the state to find a portable pump to maintain water supply.
Bartlett said that if no remedies are found, Saratoga only has enough water to last “maybe a day or two.”
In an effort to preserve the water that the town currently has, Bartlett is requesting all Saratoga residents to conserve water. Additionally, residents who live on higher elevations in town may see decreased water pressure.
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