Editor’s note: The city provided the explanation and apology shown below for Tuesday’s unexpectedly extended water outage in the Tratt Street area. In response to a question from the Banner, Brad Marquardt, public works director, indicated that an additional shutdown on Wednesday will only affect two residence halls on campus, which are aware and onboard. “There was going to be another shutdown for residents on Tratt St south of Starin Road for a hydrant replacement, but we are asking the contractor to change construction techniques and do the tap under live conditions, foregoing another shutdown,” Marquardt added.

The city’s statement:

Yesterday, our contractor was working on replacing a water main at Tratt and Starin, which required shutting off water to a large area of residents from 8 AM to 4 PM. Unfortunately, the contractor encountered unexpected issues, resulting in the water being turned back on much later than anticipated—closer to midnight.

Our staff went door to door starting at 4 PM, leaving notices and posting updates to inform everyone of the delay. While many residents were understanding and appreciated our efforts to stay late and resolve the problem, we understand that this caused significant inconvenience for others.

We sincerely apologize for any hardship this delay may have caused. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we strive to improve our city’s infrastructure.

Thank you,

City of Whitewater Public Works

Editor’s note: The Banner appreciates having permission to use the image on the homepage by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.