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Garapan water supply back to normal
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Posted on Jan 16 2006
Water supply to the Garapan tourist district and adjacent areas returned to normal Sunday evening after the completion of repair work on the damaged water main under the Chalan Pale Arnold highway in Puerto Rico.
Commonwealth Utilities Corp.’s spokesperson Pamela Mathis said the Water Task Force’s contractor, Primtek Construction, completed repair work around 10pm Sunday. She said water supply flowing through the main was restored less than an hour later. Mathis added that water pressure has also been restored to normal.
The 16-inch water main ruptured early Sunday morning, prompting CUC to shut off water supply flowing through the pipeline to several villages, including parts of Sadog Tasi, Puerto Rico and Garapan.
The contractor had to dig over nine feet along the outer southbound lane of Chalan Pale Arnold near the corner of Industrial Drive to repair the underground pipeline. Repair work resulted in the temporary closure of the lane to motorists, which continued yesterday following the paving of the site.
Mathis said the pipe sustained damage due to lack of cushioning when it was constructed in the early 1990s. She said hard and pointed rocks that came in contact with the main caused leaks to the pipeline.
Mathis explained that PVC pipes need cushioning to prevent damage when they move due to water pressure. Soil and rock movement may also cause damage to the pipe.
She said other parts of the pipe, excluding the part that was repaired Sunday, have no cushioning, putting other parts of the pipeline at risk to possible damage.
Mathis pointed out, though, that it would be impractical to dig up and install cushioning along every part of the pipeline, saying that, besides the high cost, water supply has to be shut down everytime this is done.
