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Water quality improves in St. Cloud following week of clearing out lines

Water quality improves in St. Cloud following week of clearing out lines
WESH 2’S DAVE MCDANIEL HAS THE LATEST. >> IF THERE’S A PROBLEM, I WANT MY WATER TO BE CLEAN TOO. DAVE: ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES, BUD PHILLIPS NEVER REALLY SAW AN ISSUE WITH HIS WATER, BUT HIS NEIGHBORHOOD JUST GOT A DOSE O ICE PENDING. >> STATING THEY WERE GOING TO BE FLUSHING THE LINES, AND AFTER IT WAS ALL DONE, IF WAS CLOUDY OR BROWN, FLUSH IT A FEW TIMES AND IT SHOULD CLEAR UP. DAVE: IT LOOKS LIKE THIS FROM STREET LEVEL, BUT INSIDE THE PIPE, ICE IS FORCED INTO THE LINE TO SCRAPE SEDIMENT OFF THE WALLS, PUSHING IT OUT THE OTHER END, HOPEFULLY FOR GOOD. >> A LOT OF THE SEDIMENT DEBRIS IS BEING REMOVED FROM THE PIPE, YOU CAN VISUALLY SEE THAT HAPPENING. DAVE: THE PROBLEM STARTED WHEN TANKS AT THE PLANT FAILED, AND WATER BYPASSED THE FILTERS, ONCE THE SEDIMENT GOT INTO THE PIPES, IT CONTINUED TO SHOW UP IN THE WATER. THESE SAMPLES SHOW THE WATER FROM THE START OF PIGGING ON THE LEFT, THE SAMPLES GETTING MORE CLOUDY AS SEDIMENT IS PUSH THROUGH, THEN CLEAR AT THE END, WHAT EVERYBODY WANTS. CUSTOMERS IN AREAS WHERE THE WORK HAS CONCLUDED HAVE BEEN QUIET, WHICH IS CONSIDERED GOOD. >> PEOPLE DON’T CALL YOU AND TELL YOU EVERYTHING’S OK, THEY CALL YOU WHEN EVERYTHING’S NOT OK, SO WE HAVEN’T RECEIVED ANY COMPLAINTS AT THIS STAGE. DAVE: CONGRESSMAN DARREN SOTO SAYS THE PROPOSED NATION INFRASTRUCTURE PACKAGE MIGHT HELP ST. CLOUD. IT COULD INCLUDE $40 BILLION TO HELP THE STATE CLEAN WATER FUND, WHICH COULD ADDRESS LOCAL WATER QUALITY CHALLENGES. DAVE MCDANIEL, WESH 2 NEWS. SANIKA: ST. CLOUD HAS NOT DETERMINED YET, IF ANYONE’S WATER BILLS WILL BE ADJUSTED. THE WATER WAS NEVER CONSIDERED UNHEALTHY. CONGRESSMAN SOTO IS HOLDING
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Water quality improves in St. Cloud following week of clearing out lines
For more than a week, there's been an all-out effort to clear the water lines in St. Cloud.Ice is being forced into water lines to scrape sediments off the walls to push out through the other end.The problem started when tanks at the water plant failed and water bypassed the filters. Once the sediment got into the pipes, it continued to show up in the water.Cloudy samples show the water from the start of pigging as sediment is pushed through to clear by the end.Customers in areas where the work has concluded have been quiet, which is considered good. Congressman Darren Soto says the proposed national infrastructure package might help St. Cloud.It could include $40 billion to help the State Clean Water Fund, which could address local water quality challenges.

For more than a week, there's been an all-out effort to clear the water lines in St. Cloud.

Ice is being forced into water lines to scrape sediments off the walls to push out through the other end.

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The problem started when tanks at the water plant failed and water bypassed the filters. Once the sediment got into the pipes, it continued to show up in the water.

Cloudy samples show the water from the start of pigging as sediment is pushed through to clear by the end.

Customers in areas where the work has concluded have been quiet, which is considered good. Congressman Darren Soto says the proposed national infrastructure package might help St. Cloud.

It could include $40 billion to help the State Clean Water Fund, which could address local water quality challenges.