Variably cloudy with scattered thunderstorms. Low around 75F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..
Variably cloudy with scattered thunderstorms. Low around 75F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
The city of Victoria draws its water from the Guadalupe River. The water goes into off-channel reservoirs and through the raw water pump station (1). From the raw water pump station, it goes to the surface water treatment plant (2), a distribution pump station (3) and one of the city's five water towers before going to private residences. After Hurricane Harvey, the city is considering placing generators at the three locations shown.
The city of Victoria draws its water from the Guadalupe River. The water goes into off-channel reservoirs and through the raw water pump station (1). From the raw water pump station, it goes to the surface water treatment plant (2), a distribution pump station (3) and one of the city's five water towers before going to private residences. After Hurricane Harvey, the city is considering placing generators at the three locations shown.
Damaging winds and rains from Hurricane Harvey cut off access to running water for a week in Victoria.
The two electrical grids the city’s water system used for power shut down. Residents could briefly access running water from Victoria’s water towers, but because the pumps could not stream water from the surface water treatment plant, the supply fell too low.
Current Victoria Public Works Director Ken Gill, who served as the city of Victoria’s head engineer when Harvey hit, said a crew brought a mobile generator to the Moody Street pump station, but they could not reach the site because of flooding from the Guadalupe River.
To keep that from happening again and to be better prepared for a storm the size of Hurricane Harvey, the city has made some changes.
“The acquisition of portable generators and large generators to bring in (at the time of a hurricane) can be difficult, because the river’s rising and there’s floods occurring during the dawn of a hurricane,” Gill said.
To prepare for future storms. the city installed sources of backup power at various sites.
“What we’ve done since then is put a permanent generator on site at the surface water treatment plant, the regional wastewater plant, Water Plant No. 3 and the Odem Street wastewater plant,” Gill said.
One city official praised the permanent generators for taking pressure off the backs of maintenance crews.
“We don’t have to haul things in,” City Environmental Director Darryl Lesak said. “It’s already hooked up and ready to go.”
The city also purchased a mobile generator for situations in which a system continuously fails to stay on, Gill said.
Having permanent backup power resources in place during natural disasters is a good step forward, said Kelly Brumbelow, an engineering professor who researches water resources planning and management at Texas A&M.
“If you do it right, you can avoid all kinds of things, like hurricanes, winter storms and hot summers, which drive up demand for power,” Brumbelow said. “It’s like having a good insurance policy for your house.”
To ensure a generator consistently works when it’s needed, officials need to take into account the landscape the machine will be placed in and its exposure to theft, Brumbelow said.
These ideas were echoed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
“Along the coast, systems must also consider the impact of storm surge and tropical/hurricane force winds that may cause damage to the generator, leaving it inoperable,” TCEQ spokesperson Gary Rasp said in an email. “Systems must choose the alternative power option that will best fit its needs.”
In addition to setting up new generators, Gill said Public Works is in the process of updating a computer system known as SCADA, which stands for supervisory control and data acquisition.
“Its basically our control system for our water and sewer plants,” Gill said. “We can see in real time what’s going on without having an operator there.”
The city wants to have the newest version of its SCADA system.
“A lot of the software is outdated and some of the logic controllers are outdated,” Gill said.
By updating software, the city could more precisely track the elevation of water stored inside the city’s towers.
“That will help us during hurricanes and other natural events, such as a freeze,” Gill said.
Brumbelow believes SCADA can be a powerful tool for public works departments.
“There are all sorts of options for it. You can manage the basic functions of a treatment plant or operate every valve,” Brumbelow said.
Victoria’s public works director wants residents to know the city is more prepared for hurricanes today than it was during Harvey because of the addition of permanent generators, but no one has control over the weather.
“We’re prepared for a severe storm, but every disaster is unique in its nature,” Gill said.
Leo Bertucci is a Report for America corps member who covers energy and environment for the Victoria Advocate.
Before moving to the Crossroads, Leo Bertucci studied journalism and political science at Western Kentucky University.
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