utilities

Durham Water Pressure Drop Due to One Valve's Position

The Durham water department is adding a new tool, called Daupler Notify, to notify customers through text, email, or phone call.

Wes Platt

31 Jan 2025 — 2 min read

Durham’s water system pipes could stretch from Durham to Denver. Water flow through those pipes is controlled by about 31,000 valves.

On Jan. 27, city workers ran an exercise to repeatedly open and close valves to make sure they worked properly.

And crew inadvertently left one valve closed. This led to a buildup of water pressure on one side of the valve that broke several water mains throughout the night on Jan. 27 and into the day Jan. 28. This affected water pressure for 25% of customers served by Durham Water Management, mostly on the south and east sides of the city.

“Our crew responded and have repaired all of those water main breaks,” the department said in a statement issued on Jan. 30. “We are grateful for their dedication to work around the clock and in all conditions. Our Distribution Maintenance division is tasked with many important duties, and this shows how critical maintenance is to each step of the process. We are looking into process improvements to help prevent incidents like this.”

The department is adding a new tool, called Daupler Notify, to notify customers through text, email, or phone call. The city’s testing the feature on Feb. 5. Customers can visit this link to opt in and receive updates.

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