Pauls Valley Experiences Low Water Pressure During Water Tower Cleaning

Residents and businesses in Pauls Valley experienced low to no water pressure Wednesday so crews could perform maintenance on one of the city's water towers.

The work began at about 8 a.m. and was expected to last 18 to 24 hours. During that time, crews drained the water tower on Airline Road so they could clean the interior, said Assistant City Manager Don Wageman. Crews also made any necessary repairs.

"We all need clean water, we all want as clean as possibly can be," said Wageman. "And that's the only way to assure that."

The tradeoff was that homes and businesses were experiencing low to no water pressure.

"We've been talking with them for over a week now about the process to have water stored, have some bottled water, gallons of water, run water in the bathtub," said Wageman.

Businesses affected by low water pressure included a gas station near the water tower, which had to close its restrooms. Some fast-food restaurants were impacted as well, opening only their drive-throughs.

"Restaurants, some of them have elected to have limited hours. Some have elected to close and that's their choice and they have standards within their companies that they must adhere to," said Wageman.

Other businesses, however, did not experience lower water pressure as of Wednesday morning, including O'Neal's Jewelers located downtown. Co-owner Miles Philpott said he was all for cleaning the water tower.

"You get sediment in there and a lot of dirt and stuff so it's a great thing to clean it out, keep us healthy," said Philpott.

News 9 also talked with some homeowners. One said he was starting to notice a decrease in water pressure while another said she had not experienced it.

Wageman said the water pressure would get progressively lower as more water was drained from the tower. But he said the pressure was expected to return to normal on Thursday.

Next Monday, the city will drain and clean its other water tower on Highway 77, which will also cause low to no water pressure for residents. 

"Actually, the last time that one was cleaned, it had a leak, and we drained it, cleaned it, fixed it," said Wageman.

Wageman added that the draining and cleaning of the water towers happen every five to 10 years.