Repair work to Mokane’s aging sewer and water systems has revealed the severity of its problems.
A water line broke Tuesday, and the water had to be shut off for part of Mokane, Alderman Chad Booher said.
The repair company was only able to make a temporary fix due to the amount of water line needing to be replaced. The company is scheduled to return Monday to complete repairs, and the water will be turned off again during that time.
“The flood conditions along with aging pipes have made a bad situation even worse,” Booher said. “The repair company said the pipes looked like Swiss cheese. The pipes were made of copper and in bad shape.”
Since last year, city leaders have been working to get funds to make these repairs. Mokane received a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to help pay to fix the sewer system and now is putting the final touches on a grant from the USDA to update the water system.
“What we’re finding is that as we make some of these smaller repairs, it’s putting pressure on parts of the water system, and that’s causing breaks and other problems,” Booher said.