About 170 Homes Without Water in Apple Valley After Million Gallon Tank Malfunctions

About 170 homes in Apple Valley are without water as of September 20, and the situation hasn’t gotten any better as of September 21.

A press release from Big Plains Water Special Service District said, “On September 20^th at approximately 5:30 PM, the Water Operator for the Big Plains (BP) Water District received a phone call from a local resident indicating that they had no water. The Water Operator responded to the home and contacted the other BP water board members.”

As time passed, the BP Water District continued to investigate the cause of the water shortage, but it wasn’t until they checked the tank that carried the water that the situation became far more dire.

The press release said, “Pumps for 2 wells were running but not pumping any water. Further inspection indicated that the million-gallon tank that serves the area was empty and the float on the tank was stuck and reading an incorrect water level.”

As for why the float got stuck in the first place, possible seismic activity may have been the cause.

The press release also said, “Early investigation shows that seismic activity or drilling may have caused a hole in the Moenkopi layer of the Aquifer. This allows the water to drain from the aquifer layer from which our wells draw water.”

Officials from the BP Water District are advising residents affected by this event to turn off water heaters and other appliances that may be affected from the water shortage.

The BP Water District is also working on getting water trucks into the area so residents may use it for non-potable purposes (flushing toilets and whatnot).

Those with RV’s can fill up their storage tanks at the Apple Valley Town Hall at 177 North Meadowlark Drive.

More information can be found in the full press release.