Odessa City Manager gives update on future of water line breaks

ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – After households and businesses were without water this past weekend because of a water line break at East 42nd street and University, residents wondered why does this issue keep occurring?

The short and simple answer to that would be the outdated infrastructure the City has with the water line. These water lines are around 70 years old the City said, and that when one line is broken, they are forced to shut everything off to attend that one line.

“It’s an aging infrastructure and the pressure looks it had broken right at the juncture of two lines together right in the belt there and it’s really due to the age of the pipes that in the ground.” Said City Manager John Beckmeyer. “Leadership did away with the valve crew and the cost cutting measure and so this hasn’t been done and that really put us in a bind now.”

Residents in Odessa told ABC Big 2 their frustration with the situation, saying that it’s getting ridiculous that is keep on happening.

“This is probably about the second time I want to say. I was a little surprised that’s it’s happening again,” said Odessa resident Steven Sanchez. “I mean after you know this is already the second or third time in the last few months that this has happened you know. I feel like it’s getting out of hand, and something is going on I feel like.”

City Manager Beckmeyer did say however, that the city is looking to bring in contractors to assess the issue and resolve it. Unfortunately, he added that this is a long process and could take months before anything is actually done.

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