Booster pump glitch briefly drops water pressure in Blackfoot, causing temporary water outage

UPDATE:

BLACKFOOT, Idaho (KIFI) — The City of Blackfoot says drinking water remains safe after a temporary water service interruption earlier this week prompted precautionary testing.

According to city officials, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality directed the city to conduct water quality tests following Tuesday's brief loss of water service. Test results have since been returned, and officials say all results came back normal.

As a result, no boil order has been issued.

The city also provided new details about what caused the outage, saying it occurred during a scheduled test of the city's SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system, which monitors and controls critical water system operations. During the test, officials identified a problem within the electronic control system that temporarily affected the operation of a well and interrupted water flow.

City crews quickly identified the issue, made the necessary repairs and restored normal operations.

Officials said routine testing and maintenance help identify potential problems before they become larger issues and thanked Water Department employees for their quick response.

BLACKFOOT, Idaho — A test on a city booster pump briefly dropped water pressure in parts of Blackfoot Tuesday, prompting a momentary city-wide water outage. Now, state regulators must be notified in case additional steps are needed to protect public health.

According to Blackfoot City Mayor Scott D. Stufflebeam, the city’s booster pump helps maintain consistent water pressure in the system, and it was temporarily shut down during a recent test.

“When the booster pump shuts down, you lose pressure because it’s the booster pump that keeps the pressure up,” said Mayor Stufflebeam. Other pumps are in place to help maintain pressure, but in this case, the shutdown happened so quickly that they did not immediately kick on."

According to the mayor, they were able to restore water to the city quickly. However, a loss of pressure could raise concerns.

“The worst would be a boil order,” the mayor said, adding that officials are still determining whether pressure dropped enough to require further action.

Under federal rules governing drinking water systems, significant pressure losses may require consultation with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.

Water pressure plays a key role in keeping drinking water safe. Consistent pressure and flow help prevent bacteria from accumulating in pipes and discourage contaminants from entering the system.

“You keep a constant flow of water, and you don’t have bacteria that accumulate,” the mayor said.

“That’s why they tell you don’t drink out of a stagnant pond,” the mayor said. “You always want to drink where there’s flowing water because it’s healthier that way.”

City officials are continuing to monitor the situation and review data from the incident to determine whether a boil advisory or other public notice is necessary.

For now, the mayor said the water is back on, and pressure has been restored. Additional updates will be provided if regulators require further action or if a boil order is issued.