State law flushes 9 million gallons of water annually in Lubbock

The city of Lubbock annually flushes more than 9 million gallons out of its water mains and down the drain.

That is the equivalent of what 1,200 homes in Lubbock use in a month.

A monthly flush to check a line's chlorine level takes about 15 minutes and uses roughly 17,500 gallons of water, unless a second 15-minute flush is required. But a recent city project has significantly reduced its water loss.

Required by state law and regulated by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, these flushes are to ensure the city's water supply is safe to drink.

"The water can kill you if it isn't right," said RT Galmore, whose job it is to check the city's dead-end water lines.

"I got to do this, to keep you safe. And the state says I got to do it."

Chlorine is used to disinfect water supplies.

Water treatment plants have used chloramines, an ammonia derivative, as a disinfectant since the 1930s.

Mains that are not looped into the system can pose a health risk. Uncirculated water in dead-end lines can fall below the recommended levels of disinfectant used to control microbial pathogens such as bacteria and viruses.

The city began closing or looping these dead-end water lines in 2012. Before then, Lubbock had more than 250 dead-end mains, said Aubrey Spear, Lubbock's water resources director.

The project was an effort "to reduce maintenance costs and conserve water," Spear said.

Conservation is a growing issue for Lubbock leaders as the city grapples with securing water in an era of concern throughout the state over water scarcity.

Today, the city has 43 dead-end water lines.

"The remaining 43 are not feasible to loop for various reasons, but more than likely because there is not another line nearby to loop into," Spear said in an email to A-J Media.

The cost to close or loop the city's water mains was roughly $175,000, said Keith Smith, Lubbock public works director.

The annual water savings were staggering.

A once-a-month check of those 250-plus dead-end lines amounted to saving more than 500 million gallons of water a year that had literally gone down the drain.

To put that figure into perspective, Lubbock residents used 13.5 billion gallons of water in 2013.

The city's design standard on new construction today does not permit dead-end water mains without prior approval.

The number of dead-end water lines that require flushing is hardly a Lubbock issue.

Amarillo has as many as 1,500 dead-end water lines, but only about 30 require a manual city flush, said Floyd Hartman, Amarillo's assistant director of utilities.

"City staff makes a specific effort to identify projects to eliminate dead-end mains, which is an ongoing effort," Hartman said.

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