Power surge to blame for Cotulla water well failure?

A Cotulla water well that was dug only eight yearsa ago has suffered a pump failure, bringing the city down to a mere three sites to meet supply demands averaging nearly a million gallons a day.

In a brief presentation to city councilors Thursday night, December 14, water department supervisor Jimmy Oranday said the well pump at a hilltop site near the community’s onetime public swimming pool on the west side of town has suffered a complete breakdown, crippling its 350-horsepower motor.

The news comes within two months of the city making the decision to close one of its oldest wells, situated beside the La Salle County Courthouse, after learning that the installation has degraded with age. A water tower standing above that well dates to 1915 and was the subject of a preservation project as a historic structure.

Councilors agreed this year to drill a water well near the courthouse site and connect the new installation to existing water lines.

The construction project, however, lies more than a year beyond a potential water supply crisis caused by this month’s pump failure.

Both Oranday and City Administrator David Wright indicated they believe the breakdown was caused by a power surge that damaged the pump start-up mechanism irreparably.

Oranday told councilors that preliminary estimates for replacing the equipment top $62,000. He said repairs may be undertaken by Peerless Equipment, which operates under contract with the city.

Wright said he hopes to hear from Peerless crews examining the damaged equipment whether a power surge was to blame and, if so, to file an insurance claim.

“This is an emergency,” the city administrator said last week. “We have to move quickly. We are down two wells. Only three wells are now operating.”

Still pumping for the city are wells at Buckley Street, Cherokee Avenue, and Dobie Road.

Oranday filed a departmental report Thursday night that showed Cotulla’s water usage for November was more than 931,000 gallons per day and that the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer stands at 539 feet below ground, a point beyond the level at which the city orders water use restrictions.

Cotulla remains at Stage 2 water restrictions, which limit outdoor water use and encourage water conservancy.

City Hall has yet to issue further advisories regarding water conservation in the wake of the pump failure.

“We have enough water at this time to meet demand, as it is winter,” the city administrator said on Friday.

Cotulla’s water usage has peaked at an average of 2.6 million gallons per day in summer.

Councilors are faced with paying for water system repairs at the same time as the city gears up for its next winter season without having installed its emergency generators.

Price estimates for the installation reach $2.5 million, of which the majority is covered by grants and forgivable federal loans, according to City Hall, but funds have not yet been awarded.

The emergency generator installation is aimed at preventing the city going into complete water supply failure as happened in February 2021, when a regional power outage during Winter Storm Uri shut off the city’s electric water well pumps for more than five days.

“I don’t ever want to see that happen again,” Wright told councilors last week in reference to the complete system failure. He added that the city will again lease two temporary generators for the wells at Buckley Street and Cherokee Avenue.

The Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM) has awarded a large portion of an $85,000 grant to Cotulla to complete its Hazard Mitigation Plan, a document that is required by state and federal grant authorities before funds for the new generators may be released.

According to Wright last week, the award to pay for the mitigation plan fell short of the promised amount because Cotulla began compiling the document in advance of the grant.

“TDEM will only award the grant for the period [of work] after the original award was made,” the city administrator said.

Cotulla’s Hazard Mitigation Plan has been completed and filed. Once it is approved by federal emergency management authorities, the city may proceed with its claim to pay for the generators.

City officials have conceded that the installation is unlikely to occur before the next winter freeze.