NEWS
Water crews worked all night to get water flowing again
After almost three days under a boil order plus nearly 10 hours without water, City of Bowie water customers saw the boil water order lifted shortly after noon Thursday.
The major line breaks occurred shortly before 3 p.m. on Tuesday when an eight-inch water main blew out in the construction area at Nelson and Mill. City Manager Bert Cunningham said there was an eight-inch line and a six-inch line coming into that line, which had been uncovered during the construction project. All the lines in this area are being replaced in the drainage project.
The CM said with the lines being opened the contractor had struck them a couple of times requiring a fitting and a clamp; however, being uncovered the cast iron line just collapsed due to the weight. There were not working in that area when it occurred.
“Years ago when these lines were put in there were no valves put into them, which would allow you to shut off a section for repair and allow the system to continue flowing. There were no valves, but the new lines will have three. The tower began to drop quickly because we couldn’t turn it off,” explained the manager.
In order to replace the broken section of line, the entire water system had to be shut down, and per the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality any time the system drops below 32 pounds of pressure there is potential for bacteria and a boil order is required. Three consecutive days of clear water tests are required to lift the order.
City water crews worked far into the night Tuesday and Wednesday morning repairing the line, and they thought it was done shortly before 1 a.m., but when it was pressured up, it had to be redone. It was about 3 a.m. before the system was able to start refilling the tower and pressuring up the system. Wednesday morning water was back up and running, with the boil order in place.
Emergency drinking water was provided and available for pick-up at the city fire hall.
Members of the Bowie City Council will face a brief agenda when they meet at 6 p.m. on Oct. 13 in the council chambers.
Following routine reports and consent agenda items, the council will consider a resolution authorizing submission of the city’s 2027/2028 Texas Community Development Block Grant application to the Texas Department of Agriculture.
Then council members will consider approving Bob Blackburn for appointment as a reserve police officer with the Bowie Police Department.
Following an executive session, the council will discuss and potentially take action regarding the annual employment evaluations and duties of both the City Secretary and the Municipal Court Judge.
After nearly three months of no rain, Mother Nature brought the showers this past week.
Downtown Bowie rain reports varied from 7 to 8 inches, while the Saint Jo area reported a 10-inch total. The city water plant in Bowie reported 5.55 inches on Sept. 30 with 1.6 Oct. 1-3.
Nocona saw a total of 6.31 inches of rain across Sept. 26 to Oct. 3.
On Oct. 6, Lake Amon G. Carter saw a level of 917.39 mean sea level rising to 81.31% full. Just one week earlier the lake was 73.6% full, while one year ago it was 94.01%. The lake is full at 920msl.
Lake Nocona was 73.7% full at 823.02 on Oct 6. One week earlier it was 70.41% full and one year ago it was 92.41%. The lake is full at 827.5 msl.
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
One Montague County City has joined the battle against any data centers being built in this county and there is a petition drive underway to urge the commissioner’s court to keep data centers out of Montague County.
At a Sept. 28 called meeting of the Saint Jo City Council, officials unanimously approved a resolution stating its opposition to the “siting, permitting, construction or operation of data centers and similar hyperscale computing facilities within the city limits or the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction.”
City Secretary Debbie Dennis said several citizens approached Councilor Jack Dunn about their data center concerns and he helped prepare a resolution. The council gave unanimous support.
Read the full story in your Thursday Bowie News.
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