City of Horseshoe Water System Update 12 PM
February 19, 2021
The City continues to work to restore your water service to a safe and adequate supply. Presently both water plants are producing water at their maximum capacity. We are currently refilling distribution mainlines throughout the City. Because many of the mainlines were emptied, this process will take time as we have over 120 miles of mainline within the City boundary. That equates to over 3.5 million gallons in the pipes that are probably only 50% full. Please understand the water system is not like the electrical system that comes back on immediately upon flipping a switch it requires the pipes to fill before the pressure is restored and is a slower process.
As water mainlines fill customers have been calling the City to turn off their water service due to broken house plumbing due to the freeze. As you begin to see pressure it is advisable to check your plumbing system for leaks, both inside and out. Backflow preventers on irrigation systems are also showing up broken, so please make sure you turn them off in not you have not already. Follow the link below for more information.
Instructions for shutting off your irrigation and backflow prevention systems
These measures along with continued conservation will help the City as a whole return to normal service.
During the filling process, you may discover broken pipes beginning today as temperatures rise above freezing and water pressure returns. If you do find leaking pipes please attempt to cut off your plumbing system valve, usually on the house side of the water meter. Please do not use the valve on the street side of the meter which is the City’s service cutoff. If you cannot turn off your service, please contact the City’s Broken Pipe Hotline at (512) 755-3994 to have an operator respond. Please only use this number for burst pipes, all other service calls should use the normal service request number at (830) 598-8741 and follow the prompts.
As water is restored you may experience air in your pipes, if so just open the faucet and run the water until the air stops. Contact the City if it lasts for more than 5 minutes as we may need to flush from a localized fire hydrant to remove the air.
Your water may require flushing from your faucet if it does not appear clear. This should not take more than 5 minutes, if not please call the City to assist.
The City remains under a Boil Water Notice until the water is tested to ensure it is safe for consumption. Normally this will take up to 48 hours after the system has been restored. We will send out a notice when we rescind the Boil Water Notice.
We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available. We appreciate your patience as we are working day and night to restore your water service.
Thank you. Utility Department
