With two wells down and high temperatures, Sanger residents face low water pressure
Low water pressure issues across the city of Sanger have frustrated residents for weeks. When temperatures soared over 100 degrees Saturday, residents called their city councilmembers to express their displeasure, according to Sanger Councilemember Michael Montelongo.
Montelongo, who represents District 4, said he has received calls from residents from around the city about low water pressure. The situation was particularly bad Saturday, which Montelongo believes was due to the extreme heat and people using more water. The issue Saturday led to the brief closure of the Walmart in town.
However, the city has faced low-pressure water issues since at least April when it began work on some of its wells. Montelongo said he has provided updates to the community through his social media accounts since early April.
Currently, he said, two out of the city’s nine water wells are offline. As of July 2021, Sanger had a population of about 26,716 residents, with a majority of them Latino, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
One of the wells is being rebuilt after it kept breaking down. The second well is being repaired after a failure.
“I do hear their frustration,” Montelongo told The Bee of his constituents and thanked them for their patience. “We are definitely doing our very best to make sure we have a good water supply for our community.”
The city is also building new wells to deal with its growing population and pressure issues. Much of the city’s work follows an emergency declaration approved by the Sanger City Council on Sept. 2, 2021.
After needed rehabilitation and repairs are completed, the city of Sanger needs to flush the wells and test the water as required by the state’s Division of Drinking Water. Montelongo expects that process to be completed within the next two weeks for the wells that are under repair.
One was to be flushed Sunday and tested around Monday, which means it could be up and running this week, Montelongo said. The other well, a big-capacity well, should be completed by Friday, and the flushing and testing will follow. It could return to service next week.
A new well is under construction, Montelongo said, and should be online by mid-July.
Additionally, he said, the city of Sanger received a $3.8 million grant for another new well, which city officials expect to be up and running by 2023. Another new well is funded with American Rescue Plan Act funds, Montelongo said, and could be completed in about a year or so from now. That well will be located in the city’s newly annexed Northern Academy Corridor.
That’s in addition to more money the city is hoping to receive soon to fund more wells.
“The future looks pretty bright for our community,” he said.
But even once the new wells are operating, the city will have to work with residents to conserve water, given the drought, Montelongo said.
