Water pressure issues for far west Elgin

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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

ELGIN — Here’s another consequence of the recession: With the housing market and Elgin’s western expansion slowed to a crawl, some places located in that new part of town have been dealing with occasional low water pressure issues.

Built about three years ago, a water tower in the Highland Woods subdivision — off Highland Avenue, west of Coombs Road and north of Route 20 — is only being filled to 25 percent of capacity.

To keep the chlorinated water from stagnating, the city’s water department periodically flushes local hydrants to draw fresh water into the area.

That was the case last week, leading to low water pressure in the area that was noticed by residents and those in attendance at Country Trails Elementary School in the subdivision.

Water in towers puts pressure on the system, which helps water flow out of a tap in a rate measured in pounds per square inch (PSI). Typically, water pressure runs between 30 and 80 PSI. It can be an issue for usage and safety if it drops below 20 PSI, Elgin Water Director Kyla Jacobsen said. Although pressure got low, it did not sink to that level last week.

While there might not be a need yet for all the water the Highland Woods tower can hold, right now it cannot be filled to capacity because of engineering issues and the laws of physics, Jacobsen said.

The name of the subdivision gives clue to the fact that the water tower is on higher ground than surrounding areas. As such, it should be in its own pressure zone and connected in a loop by a series of underground mains to other towers in that zone.

But the lack of demand for homes has meant developers have yet to put in infrastructure to do so, and there are only limited water lines to the tower in question, Jacobsen said.

According to Jacobsen, the Highland Woods tower currently is connected to the pressure zone that includes the Alft Lane tower in order to put water into it. But the Alft Lane tower is lower in elevation, which means that the Highland Woods tower cannot be filled to its capacity.

Jacobsen said the next time the department flushes the Highland Woods tower, it will try to schedule it for when school is not in session and will notify locals of what is happening so they will know why their water pressure temporarily is low.

Water contest wins

Jacobsen was contacted Thursday upon her return from Springfield, where she and others from Elgin were attending the 102nd meeting of the Illinois section of the American Water Works Association.

Along with conference sessions, there were competitions that included Top Ops, “which is a ‘Jeopardy! ’-like competition for operator knowledge. That (Elgin) team consisting of Mike Bourgerie, Greg Boulnois and Erik Olsen took first place in the competition for the sixth year in a row,” Jacobsen said.

“Also competing for a return performance was Eric Kresmery in the Meter Madness competition,” she said. “Eric placed first in the state of Illinois, a best for him. And for the second time in competition Rob Berg, Terry Smart, John Fabrizius and Kevin Kujak competed in the pipe-tapping contest. They had a best overall time. However, a slight leak penalty put them in second place.”