Key Takeaways
- The city of Syracuse is providing extra water to the town of DeWitt to help maintain water supplies after a massive conduit ruptured in Cicero.
- The city is pushing an extra 800,000 gallons per day into DeWitt, bringing the total to 1.2 million gallons per day.
- The cooperation among water districts is not unusual, and they often work together to help each other through challenges.
- The city has opened up a boundary gate to allow OCWA to provide water directly to a commercialized part of DeWitt.
- Businesses and residents in the affected areas are being asked to cut water usage to help get through the crisis.
Introduction to the Water Crisis
The city of Syracuse has come to the aid of the Onondaga County Water Authority (OCWA) after a massive conduit ruptured in Cicero, leaving six towns without a reliable water supply. The rupture has affected the towns of DeWitt, Manlius, Pompey, Lenox, Lincoln, and Sullivan, which normally use about 5 million gallons of water per day. To mitigate the crisis, the city of Syracuse has increased its water supply to DeWitt, providing an extra 800,000 gallons per day. This brings the total amount of water provided to DeWitt to 1.2 million gallons per day, up from the usual 400,000 gallons.
Cooperation Among Water Districts
The cooperation between the city of Syracuse and OCWA is not unusual, according to Robert Brandt, the city’s water commissioner. Brandt stated that the water districts often work together to help each other through challenges, and this is just one example of that cooperation. The city is providing the maximum amount of help it can to OCWA without compromising service to its own customers. This cooperation is crucial in maintaining water pressure and supply in the affected areas. By working together, the water districts can ensure that residents and businesses have access to the water they need, even in times of crisis.
Efforts to Maintain Water Supply
In addition to providing extra water to DeWitt, the city has also opened up a boundary gate in the area of Burnet Avenue and Thompson Road. This allows OCWA to provide water directly to a more commercialized part of DeWitt. Furthermore, OCWA is sending water from its western district into the city system, which helps to maintain pressure in the area without drawing down from its main storage tanks. The city is essentially "pushing water through the system" to help OCWA maintain its water supply. These efforts are helping to reduce the strain on OCWA’s main storage tanks and ensure that residents and businesses in the affected areas have access to water.
Conservation Efforts
To get through the crisis, officials are asking businesses and residents in the affected areas to cut their water usage. The goal is to reduce the overall water usage from 5 million gallons per day to 3.5 million gallons per day. This will help to ensure that there is enough water to go around, even with the reduced supply. The city is also working with large water users, such as Lotte Biologics and Carr Street Generation Station, to reduce their water usage. These efforts will help to mitigate the impact of the water main break and ensure that residents and businesses have access to the water they need.
Supporting Local Businesses
The city is also providing support to local businesses affected by the water main break. For example, the city has established a contract with Byrne Dairy to supply water for its production facility in East Syracuse. The company is tapping into a city hydrant to fill up tankers that are bringing water to the plant, which is adding up to about 100,000 gallons per day. This support will help to ensure that local businesses can continue to operate, even in the face of the water crisis. By providing support to these businesses, the city is helping to minimize the economic impact of the water main break and ensure that the local economy can continue to function.
