UPDATE: Kaplan's water pressure is so low, fighting fires in the town will be problematic, fire officials say.
"Due to the extreme winter weather we are having it's producing a few problems. One of those issues is water pressure. As of now we are running very low water pressure. So low that if we have a fire in town the Fire Dept will not be able to hook to fire hydrants. Everyone is doing everything they can to bring the pressure up but we need help from everyone," writes Jacob Mathiew. "I know nobody wants broken pipes but if you could shut your water while the temp is above freezing that would help our water system tremendously. We have plans in place to battle any fire we may have but it's not 100% because of the low water pressure. So please if we could shut off the water when the temps are above freezing that would be a big help to everyone trying to keep Kaplan going and safe. Thanks so much and God Bless."
Kaplan Mayor Mike Kloesel updated his earlier plea for conservation:
I want to ask that you continue conserving water throughout the night. The water tower is still dangerously low and for the last couple of hours we are beginning to use water again faster than we can pump it to the tower. Please, please conserve water and use it as conservatively as possible so that we don't have to go on a water boil advisory. If the water tower drains out the state will force and mandate a boil advisory. We are doing everything we can to avoid that but we need your help. I'm worried that everyone will begin running washing machines, dishwashers, showers, baths, etc, and we simply won't have enough water in the tower for everyone to do that tonight. Help us help you. Thank you! PLEASE SHARE IN KAPLAN!
Earlier today, the mayor was pleading with residents to conserve water and check for leaks, as the city's water system is running on empty.
"We are now having a huge problem with water pressure! It is due to all of the busted water lines and excess use such as keeping water dripping and running. I must ask that you PLEASE ensure that that you don't have a busted pipe by walking around your house, if you see a puddle of water forming you probably have a busted line and you need to cut your water off at the cut off valve. IF you do not know where that is call city hall and we will send someone out to do it for you," he writes in a Facebook post.
Since the pipes have thawed, the system is 'losing water pressure throughout the city at an alarming rate," Kloesel writes. "We are now losing more water than we can pump into the tower, if the tower runs dry we will be under a water boil advisory, so we have to get this under control immediately."
He asks residents to turn off all their faucts and don't use water unless absolutely necessary until further notice.
"If you turn on your faucet and see the pressure is lower than normal, turn it off immediately and don't let it run! We are pumping as fast as we can into the tower but we are losing ground every hour. Please CONSERVE WATER IMMEDIATELY or we will be under a water boil advisory in just a few hours," he writes.
Here's the post:
