Case Study
Municipal Drinking Water Shutdown
Location: Idaho
Problems:
A drinking water line for a public water system ruptured. All the water in the city system was turned off. The search was on for the site of the breach, then began the process to dig it up and repair it. The repair and disinfection took several days.
Solutions:
SVL responded to the call for help by accepting emergency drinking water samples for bacterial testing. Samples were accepted on a weekend, immediately setting up tests. The testing continued intermittently until the line was repaired and disinfected. Samples were requested for asbestos analysis because of the composition of the old water line. SVL responded to a request for compliance testing and expedited a rapid turnaround of results. Results were called and emailed to the city, the consultant and state compliance officers as requested, giving critical data to help officials restore drinking water to residents.
Results:
SVL provided bacterial and asbestos data indicating that the system was all clear and ready for use. Drinking water was turned on after 7 days of repair. Restaurants served patrons and washed dishes; residents drank water from their faucets, showered and flushed toilets. Much joy was generated for a resource often taken for granted.
Case Study
Emergency Containment Breach
Location: Idaho
Problems:
Water with high metals concentrations breached a containment area and began flowing underneath a roadway. Four locations on the roadway began to sink as the contamination spread toward a nearby river.
Solutions:
While construction crews worked to stabilize the roadway, monitoring of the water overflow was needed to monitor the downstream effects of the breach.
Results:
SVL provided daily analytical results to agencies and consultants to give them the timely information they needed to make critical decisions during the troubleshooting and construction process.