Hoosick Falls Residents Under Boil Water Order

by Bea Peterson
Hoosick Falls residents have been under a Boil Water Order from the Rensselaer County Health Department since Monday, October 19, when valves failed to hold while a repair was underway. Water Department Head Jim Hurlburt has been taking water samples to the Health Dept. and he expects the Boil Water Order to be lifted Thursday afternoon, October 22.
For the past month Casale Excavation has been working at the intersection of Main and Church Streets to install new piping to improve the Village’s water lines and install a new hydrant. “There used to be two 12 inch mains going up the hill [from the Water Plant] to the main distribution system to feed the water tanks on Rogers Ave. and Rensselaer St.,” said Hurlburt. “It’s been changed to one 16 inch main.” The work was almost completed. The last step was to tie the 16 inch line to a much older 14 inch line at the corner of Main St. and Rogers Ave. To do this two old valves had to be used to cut off the flow of water. New valves had been installed but they couldn’t be used until the hookup was completed. Unfortunately, the old valves didn’t hold. At about 9:15 Monday morning the valves let go. “Water gushed up about 60 feet in the air,” said Hurlburt, “and everything came back down the line.” The result was the loss of water pressure throughout the Village and a complete loss of water on Rogers Ave. Hurlburt’s computer graph tracked the water in the full 360,000 gallon water tank as it plummeted to 20,000 gallons. It was 9 pm before the flow of water was stopped. Crews worked through the night until close to 5 pm Tuesday to flush hydrants to get the air out of the system to reduce pressure on all the lines. “All of Rogers Ave. was without water until about 3 am Tuesday and things were back to normal, as far as having water, by noon,” Hurlburt said. The new valves are working now, and Hurlburt has better access to isolating the water system.
Because hydrants were unusable the Hoosick Falls Fire Department was on mutual aid. If there had been a fire, tankers from nearby Fire Departments would have responded to supply water.
What Boil Water Means
According to the flyer from Richard Elder, Environmental Health Director, a boil water order means residents should boil tap water for one minute and let it cool before using it, or they should use purchased bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes and food preparation.
Boiling the water kills most of the bacteria and other organisms that may cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches or other symptoms. Water that is not boiled may pose a special health risk to infants, some elderly and people with severely compromised immune systems.
Thank You
Hurlburt said he is grateful to all the people who were helpful during the crisis. “I was on the phone with the Mayor [Matt Monahan] a lot,” he said. “Village Board members were on the scene, and Niel Stowell and the Village crew were a big help. I can’t thank Niel enough.” Village Trustee Bob Downing took over the task of answering the Water Dept. phone line that rang continuously Monday.
“It all worked out,” said Hurlburt. “It just took time.” Recalling the flooding a few years back that affected the water system, Hurlburt, who was new to the job then, said, “I knew what to do then, but this time I was confident I knew what to do. I’m happy. Slowly but surely the water system is getting better.” He expects more improvements next year.