GAINESVILLE – Water challenges are nothing new to our area: controlling storm water runoff after monsoon rain events or securing drinking water for the future as a result of the Tristate Water Wars, Gainesville has pretty much been able to handle them all.
But a new type of water challenge has presented itself and it has city leaders scrambling: hardware, or the lack thereof - the physical components and devices that allow fresh water to reach customers of the Gainesville Water System.
Tuesday evening Gainesville City Manager Bryan Lackey asked Gainesville Water Resources Director Linda MacGregor to update the city council on the challenges facing the city.
“I’ve asked Linda to give y’all a short presentation…and take you through the challenges and what they are trying do by thinking outside-the-box to try to find these materials,” Lackey said.
“Global supply chain problems have caught up with us,” MacGregor began. “We’re seeing a shortage of materials and component parts; delivery times are long, and they are getting longer.”
She said that work force shortages in her department exacerbate the situation but the single greatest problem facing the Water Resources Department is the shortage of a small alloy component that links homes and businesses to the city’s potable water supply. “The most critical shortage that we are facing at the moment is with water meters and the critical element is the brass fittings that connect the service line to the water main,” MacGregor explained.
“It’s not exciting but it’s these little things that make things work,” she said with a smile.
MacGregor said she has as many as 200 brass fittings on hand with over 900 water meters waiting to be installed. She added that a resupply of fittings isn’t expected until January at the earliest.
She said her staff checks regularly with other water providing entities and vendors of water system parts across the nation in an effort to secure the needed equipment. That has not been as productive as she would like and it sometimes worsens the frustration. “A lot of places will quote you a delivery time and then later extend that delivery time.”
In the meantime there have been some operational changes within the Water Resources Department, MacGregor said. “Effective immediately…we’re suspending our routine water meter replacement program. Although that’s a good maintenance practice we’re temporarily suspending that.”
“And we have a new protocol for new connections where the applicants will submit photo documentation showing that their site is ready and to give us information about closing dates,” she added.
“We’re pulling out all stops and doing everything we know to do to deal with this global challenge. We’ll keep you up to date.”
“We want to install (water) meters,” Lackey added. “That’s the way we make more revenue for the water department. It’s urgent to us.”
