Quick action by Moyie Springs personnel Sunday morning and the generosity of Three Mile Water officials made a major line breach that shut down the Moyie Springs water system seem to customers like a minor inconvenience if they noticed anything amiss at all. Moyie Springs city officials are grateful, but ask those on the Moyie Springs water system to conserve as much as possible to reduce the strain on Three Mile Water.
According to Moyie Springs City Clerk Donna Wilson-Funkhouser, the problem was first noted by personnel at the Kootenai Tribal Hatchery at Twin Rivers who noted a water main breach on the steep slope below the mill and above the system’s main well at about 7 a.m. March 24. Within an hour, personnel were on-site and working to shut the system down.
Meanwhile, Three Mile Water System operators were working to divert water to the Moyie Springs system, and they proved so efficient few customers ever realized they’d been without water momentarily.
Engineers arrived on site this morning to determine the cause of the breach; there is a lot of hillside damage in the area of the breach, but its unknown at this point if a weather-related slope failure broke the line or if the breach caused slope failure.
Wilson-Funkhouser said they have indications as to when the system may be restored, but says it looks like the current arrangement will keep the water flowing until repairs can be made.