Generators Made All the Difference to Keep The Water Flowing During Recent Ice Storm

Fayette Water Supply Corp. says the generators they installed following the ice storm of 2021 kept their system operation during the hard freeze last week.

Fayette Electric Cooperative experience a few power outages last week, mostly due to tree limbs falling on lines, as temperatures dropped into the teens. FWSC General Manager Ronnie Wick said some of their well sites were affected by the power outages.

“We’ve got generators at most of our sites now,” Wick said. “They kicked on when they needed to and kept us going.”

Widespread power outages during the 2021 ice storm devastated Fayette Water Supply. With no power to keep the wells pumping, water froze in the lines, busting pipes, valves and other equipment throughout the FWSC system. Customers went without water for days as crews worked around the clock to repair the damage.

This time, Wick said, the generators made all the difference.

“When it dropped down below freezing, we had to crank down the wells and overflow a few storage tanks,” Wick said. “We pumped through it all night long.”

Wick said customers did a good job of dripping their lines just enough to prevent freezing but not so much that it strained the water system.