March 15, 2024 |
Photo – Area where water main break occurred – By Matt Copeland Bigfoot99
A water main break in Hanna caused town officials to declare a state of emergency.
The Hanna town council on Wednesday night adopted Resolution 2024-601, that declares a state of emergency because of a water main break near the Union Pacific Railroad tracks within the town limits.
The break occurred on the southern end of Main Street on the western side of town.
The resolution states that at approximately 11:00 am on Wednesday morning, a twelve-inch water main located under the Union Pacific Railroad tracks burst. The water main break, if allowed to continue without repair, will cause substantial damage to private and town property. Repairs are expected to exceed $75,000.
The resolution passed by the governing body will allow the town to skip the state mandated bidding process for all expenditures over the $75,000 threshold.
Hanna officials said that if the water main break is not repaired as soon as possible, “then resultant water infiltration and saturation will, to a high degree of likelihood, cause significant damage to private and town property.”
The resolution was passed during last night’s special budget meeting.
An email from Town Clerk Vivian Gonzales said residents are not in danger of losing water. Clerk Gonzales said the town has a secondary transmission line to its water storage tank. However, Gonzales said the town may have to run the water treatment plant longer or for more days to keep the tank full because the backup transmission line is smaller than the main line. The town clerk said officials are waiting for permission from the railroad to begin digging. The railroad tracks are unaffected by the water leak.
Bigfoot99 will continue to monitor the situation and report back as more information becomes available.
