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Written by: Johnny Walker & Kevin Gilliam of TAUD At approximately 1:52 a.m. on March 3, 2020, a deadly EF-4 tornado touched down and ravaged several neighborhoods in Putnam County, Tennessee, particularly in the Double Springs Utility District service area. The tornado took several lives in this community and completely devastated a number of neighborhoods […]

On May 28, 2019, a devastating tornado ripped through the City of Linwood, Kansas that would need long-term assistance from Kansas Rural Water Association (KRWA). Vehicles were flipped over, homes severely damaged or destroyed and debris spread out everywhere. One consequence, some might not think about, would be the harm that debris could cause the […]

Idaho Rural Water Association (IRWA) broke ground on its almost 11,000 square foot Technical Training Center located in Boise, Idaho on August 8, 2019. This facility will be used to train incoming apprentices and help with emergency response hands-on education that will benefit small communities and rural areas all across Idaho. It will house both […]

Thirteen recorded tornadoes caused destruction across western Ohio on May 27, including the city of Dayton and surrounding areas. Dayton is a major water supplier to towns and cities in the area, like the rural water system in Brookville. Due to the damage from the EF4 tornado, the system in Dayton stopped supplying water to […]

Iowa endured historic flooding along with other Midwestern states last month and conditions worsened for Hamburg, Iowa when the levees broke on March 17. Iowa Rural Water Association Circuit Rider Zeb McFarland headed out to assist in recovery and assessed the damaged areas with Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). After sitting down with city […]

Nearly eight million people were under flood warnings in the Midwest on Tuesday March 12, after a “bomb cyclone” had blown its way through. Flood waters were especially widespread in Nebraska, with Gov. Pete Ricketts saying it was the “most widespread disaster we have had in our state’s history.” (cnn.com) Snowfall amounted to 12-17 inches […]

TRYON, N. C. – A pair of leaks strained the capacity of the Tryon, N. C. water treatment plant, but assistance from the North Carolina Rural Water Association helped locate the leaks and save thousands of gallons of lost water. “We had significant leaks,” said Greg McCool, Water Treatment Superintendent for the Town of Tryon. […]

DUCHESNE, Utah – Jeff Schnar stood at the base of the mountain where a pair of leaks and 310 psi water pressure had knocked out service for 168 customers of the South Duchesne Culinary Water System in Duchesne, Utah. Assistance from the Rural Water Association of Utah helped protect the public health, repair the leaks […]

MILROY, Ind. – The Anderson Township Regional Sewer District needed two clear tests before they could put a recently-cleaned water well back into service, except the test result showed signs of fecal coliform bacteria. Assistance from the Alliance of Indiana Rural Water helped disinfect the well and bring it back on-line. “They just had a […]

SHUQUALAK, Miss. – “Let me get my boots on, I’ll be right there,” Tom Abernathy said when the Shuqualak Butler Water Association called him on the Saturday a flood destroyed one of their water lines. “We had a seven-inch rain and the flood that came washed out a creek crossing,” said Tom Hindman, the Shuqualak […]

ELYSIAN, Minn. – Ron Greenwald stood on the lake shore in Elysian, Minn., trying to find a way to repair a leak under eight feet of water. Assistance from the Minnesota Rural Water Association helped run a temporary service line and locate critical pipes so that Elysian could repair the leak at considerable savings. “We […]

WINNFIELD, La. – When a mystery leak started intruding into a drain pipe at the Winn Parish Medical Center in Winnfield, La., the community was faced with thousands of dollars in repair costs from digging around the hospital structures. Assistance from the Louisiana Rural Water Association helped located the leak under an open area of […]

DEXTER, Maine – Tom Crawford checked the Dexter reservoir in the morning and saw it had lost nearly half its water, and levels were dropping fast. Timely assistance from the Maine Rural Water Association helped locate a leak in an unknown water main and prevent the community from losing water. “It was a real emergency,” […]

MEXICO BEACH, Fla. – When Phillip Hall drove into the Mexico Beach water plant and saw the water tower laying on the ground storage tank, he knew the city’s water system was significantly damaged. “When I pulled into the yard and saw that tower down, I just knew,” said Hall, the Mexico Beach public works […]

PORT ST JOE, Fla. – Rows of broken, blue watermain pipe lay alongside the highway on Cape San Blas while crews dig trenches for new water and wastewater line. The storm surge from Hurricane Michael tore the water main for Lighthouse Utilities and the Port St. Joe wastewater collection system out of the ground, but […]

WEWAHITCHKA, Fla. – Hurricane Michael left the city of Wewahitchka, Fla. completely without water and wastewater service when it made landfall on October 10th. Assistance from the Florida Rural Water Association helped restore service to the damaged community. “We were down and down hard,” said Michael Gortman, city administrator for Wewahitchka. “We had no power. […]

PORT ST JOE, Fla. – When Hurricane Michael made landfall, Port St. Joe water plant staff watched the wind hurl fifty-gallon steel drums from the yard into the tree line. “This is probably the safest building in the county,” said Larry McClamma, the Port St. Joe water plant manager. “I sat there and watched the […]

PARKER, Fla. – Amber Parkle and her daughter had been without water for ten days, and they cheered when responders from the Louisiana Rural Water Association opened their meter and water poured from the outside faucet. “I’m ecstatic beyond anything I can describe,” the Parker resident said. “To get running water and to be able […]

BAINBRIDGE, Ga. – Hurricane Michael brought unexpected damage to Bainbridge, Ga., carrying Category 3 strength winds over 100 miles from the shore, uprooting trees, knocking out power and disrupting water and wastewater service. “Bainbridge Georgia looks like a war zone. It may be several days before you see someone to help just please bear with […]

CALLAWAY, Fla. – The streets of Callaway, Fla. are lined with piles of debris with power poles and transformers crumpled in the ditches. There is no electricity, but aid from the Mississippi Rural Water Association has helped restore water service and prevented sewer backups in the storm-ravaged community. “Well, we had this hurricane,” said an […]

WHEELWRIGHT, Ken. – When the City of Wheelwright’s water source ran dry, experts from the Kentucky Rural Water Association and crews from neighboring communities rallied to connect to a new source and restore service. “I was in a classroom, teaching when a student said: ‘Have you seen what’s happening in Wheelwright?’” Said Danny Stinson, a […]

SAXMAN, Alaska – When a leak threatened to drain the reservoir and leave the city of Saxman, Alaska without water, the Alaska Rural Water Association helped connect a new service line and provided leak detection to reduce water usage. “I got called in to do an emergency leak detection because they were losing about 115,000 […]

WELLMAN, Iowa – When the City of Wellman, Iowa started showing high levels of nitrites in their water, assistance from the Iowa Rural Water Association helped adjust the system’s water chemistry, removing the nitrites and saving money. “When I first started working with Wellman, they had two wells and one was bad,” said Joe Finch, […]

TALLAHASSE, Fla. – The Florida Rural Water Association recently assisted a community, battling numerous leaks that forced the city’s water pumped to double their production to maintain service. “The story begins when the city comes to the Florida Rural Water office to borrow a leak detector,” said FRWA Executive Director Gary Williams. “We asked if […]

TUSCOLA, Ill. – When a 120,000 gallon-per-day leak threatened to disrupt service in Tuscola, Illinois, the community turned to experts from the Illinois Rural Water Association to locate the leak. “They couldn’t keep up with the demand and they were losing water from the tower,” said Chuck Woodworth, an IRWA Circuit Rider. “They would have […]