Siege of Vicksburg Won - Got Water!

A BIG MESS:  Construction crews continued repairs on a 36-inch water main that ruptured Wednesday that lead to a citywide water outage.  Vicksburg Mayor Georg Flaggs reported Friday afternoon that repairs had been completed and that water pressure in the system would build overnight and into Saturday.  The Vicksburg Post

I posted yesterday about our historic City of Vicksburg, MS, being under siege once again with NO WATER.  Today, water has been restored but could take at least 24 hours before the water systems is at full pressure, and it may take until the end of next week before a boil water notice that has been put in effect may be lifted. 

Our city has been without water since after 11:00 a.m. Wednesday when city workers discovered a leak in the main waterline.  The leak forced employees at the city water treatment plant to shut down the plant's main valve to prevent backflow into the system, cutting off the city's main water supply. 

The damaged valve was buried in the ground and under about 10 feet of floodwater, forcing the city to hire contractors to build a dam to wall off the water and allow workers to get in and repair the problem.  Mayor Flaggs said trucks from "four or five contractors" moved 16,000 to 20,000 cubic feet of dirt over almost 30 hours to build up the dam, which cleared about an acre of land. 

The city received assistance from the U, S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District, adding, "The Corps of Engineers came in and said we were doing what we should have been doing. They said the levee was well-built.

The Mayor said, "I think it is remarkable that we had the crisis we had and were able to do it with three days instead of five days."

"On behalf of the Board of Mayor and Alderman, (North/South Ward) we cannot begin to thank all the people who have helped us in this crisis situation, certainly the citizens who understood the crisis situation and accommodated and turning to each other instead of turning on each other," Flaggs said. 

I want to thank everyone that said prayers for our beloved City of Vicksburg, MS, during this crisis and appreciate each and everyone of you.  God Bless y'all!