Mayor Pease expects water repairs this week

PERU – Peru Mayor David Pease outlined the grim situation with the city’s water supply since the floods of 2019 and the current emergency following a pump failure at a temporary station during his remarks Tuesday at a town hall meeting.

Flood water disabled the city’s water plant and Pease said time dragged on until a temporary plant was in place. That plant was briefly closed to replace filters and then shut down when Auburn utility workers discovered a high-service pump was failing.

The mayor said there were concerns about damage to the water system and fire protection when the level in the water tower fell to a low point of 10.6 feet.

He said trucks began bringing water to Peru the next day and the level in the tower was brought to normal over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Disaster recovery coordinator Deborah Solie summarized the report.

Deborah Solie: “There should be a repair in place by Friday evening. It will be another week before we are able to do all the testing that’s necessary to lift the boil water notice, but then beyond that you don’t anticipate any shut down for filter replacements or other repairs. Is that correct?

Pease: “That’s correct.”

Mayor Pease thanked everyone who is conserving water at this time.