FESTUS, MO (KMOX)--Residents have been complaining of bad water on and off for months in the city of Festus. It was partially brought on by the need to switch to ground wells due to a lack of water supply coming from the Jefferson County Water Authority last year. A second water collector was added in October allowing both Festus and Herculaneum in the JCWA to have more than enough water. After ground wells were shut down, the water continued to be murky for some Festus residents. Starting this week, the city is turning to a newer process called 'ice pigging' to push out all the gunk stuck inside the water mains.
"Imagine the world's largest snow cone maker you can ever put on the back end of a large tractor-trailer," said Festus City Administrator Greg Camp. "It's a machine that creates an ice slurry and is injected into the water mains." The ice is then propelled through the line to the next hydrant removing build up that's in the line. "Depending on the amount of deposits that are in the line," said Camp, "you're going to have either a completely clean pipe or at least get some relief from some of the water quality issues."
"All that's in the line is ice," said Camp. "There are no chemicals. Just salt is used in the process. [With 'ice pigging'] you don't have that kind of situation where you potentially put that water main out of service for a long time." Traditional cleaning methods would turn water off longer.
Another alternative would be to replace the water mains, but that's not feasible for Festus right now. "The capital investment that it takes to be able to tear water mains out and replace them," Camp said, "is substantial and something the city would have to plan for."
'Ice Pigging' will begin Thursday, January 11th on Edgewood Court and Edgewood Lane along with Mid-Meadow, Rosemary, and Orchard Lanes. Work will start between 9 to 10am. Festus residents can expect short-term interruptions in water services.
If you are experiencing water quality issues in the city of Festus, the Public Works Department is asking you to call them at 636-937-6646 for assistance.
