Water tank, valve to be repaired

Milky water some Wolfforth residents see in the first few seconds their faucets are on was attributed to air bubbles in the city’s water tank.

Doug Hutcheson, director of public works, told City Council members Monday that city workers are trying to find the source of those bubbles, but cannot get an expert out to inspect the tank.

In the meantime, the inside of the tank has corroded patches that need to be repainted. The Wolfforth City Council voted Monday to spend $3,000 to repair and repaint the inside of the tank.

During repairs, the city will bypass the tank so water goes directly from the wells into the city. Wolfforth residents will receive water as normal while repairs take place.

A decision was also made to replace the VFE valve on one of the 26-year-old pumps at the booster station. This valve monitors the pressure in the pumps and ensures water is pumped into the city’s system. There are three pumps at the booster station, so residents are not being affected by having one pump down.

The cost to replace the valve is $12,000 and will come from the city’s reserve fund.

“This is something we’ll have to do,” said L.C. Childers. “There is no way around it.”

Two Wolfforth residents, Julie Merrill and April Whiting, presented council members with a plaque from Neighborhoods USA. The two women represented the Frenship Mesa Park neighborhood at a nationwide competition last month in Seattle where they won first place in the physical revitalization division.

Whiting said she was impressed with presentations from other communities and got ideas for future projects in Wolfforth.

Childers complimented the neighborhood on sticking with the project.

“Usually you get something started, and it fizzles out,” said Childers.
“Hopefully we can use it to attract some people” to Wolfforth, said Councilman James Vardy.