Temple, Morgan's Point asked to conserve water Posted On: Wednesday, Jul. 1 2009 06:20 AM From staff reports

Some Temple and Morgan's Point residents are being asked to conserve water this week after a malfunction at a pump station.

Residents in the 835 Zone depend on the Farm-to-Market 2305 Booster Pump Station and the Pepper Creek Tank to supply water. Friday, the pump station experienced a malfunction, which prevented it from refilling the tanks with water as residents consumed it, Temple City Manager David Blackburn said at a press conference Tuesday. The city responded by issuing a stage 5 water conservation event, which limits water to indoor use only.

Blackburn said, "We are experiencing unusually high demand for this time of the year. Current demand levels will likely see triggering of a higher stage in our Water Conservation Plan."

About 2,200 Temple residents and 5,000 Morgan's Point residents are served by the 835 zone, Blackburn said. The 835 zone serves Temple residents in areas west of Farm-to-Market 317, south of Airport Road and north of the river.

The city thought it had resolved the pump station problem and the stage 5 order was lifted about 7 p.m. Sunday.

Blackburn said the city immediately saw an increase in water demand, and that while the pumps are recovering, they are still unable to meet demand, so he reinstated the stage 5 water conservation event Monday night.

Blackburn said he expects the water-use restrictions for the 835 zone to remain in effect through at least Friday as the city works to fix the problem so the tanks can meet demand, especially in case of a fire.

For now, Temple residents in the affected area are banned from outdoor water use, although Blackburn said Tuesday he hopes to come up with a system that allows for some outdoor use in the next day or two.