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City Council Meeting Minutes April 20, 2021 <br />Tyler Hjorth, Assistant Director of Public Services, provided information <br />related to the San Marcos Electric Utility and their role during the winter <br />storm which include identifying the sources and locations of issues. Mr. Hjorth <br />provided the timeline and number of customers that had power outages. Mr. <br />Hjorth provided the hours worked by the San Marcos Electric Utility <br />employees during this time and the amount of equipment and supplies needed. <br />He noted that there were NO vehicle accidents of injuries and there will be no <br />adverse financial impact to our customers. There will not be a utility rate <br />increase, nor pass through energy costs. <br />Tom Taggart, Director of Public Services, provided information related to the <br />Transportation Department. To prepare for this event, 24-hour operations <br />include sanding streets and snow removal was implemented, real-time traffic <br />monitoring system and camera feeds with Fire, Police, and EOC to manage <br />and communicate roadway issues was utilized, multiple traffic signals were <br />repaired due to power outages, vehicles were provided with fuel tanks to aid in <br />fueling backup generators, and message boards were installed on I-35 warning <br />of icy conditions. <br />Mr. Taggart provided information on Water/Wastewater Operations. The <br />challenges included: <br />• High Water Demand - Frozen pipe breaks and running faucets caused 14 <br />million gallon a day usage, usually 7 million a day during this season. <br />• Reduced Pressure in System - Caused by water supply reduction due to power <br />outages and heavy demand <br />• Citywide Boil Water Notice Required- Lasted for 4 days (2/17 to 2/21) <br />• Water Service Loss to Some Areas - Customers at highest elevations & <br />farthest from plant had low or no pressure <br />• Wastewater Release Adjacent to River - 1 million gallons released due to <br />power loss & generator failure <br />• Extended fuel use by all generators - 5000 gallons of fuel transported by staff <br />in 100-200 gallon tanks <br />The successes included: <br />• Maintained water production throughout event (reduced volumes) <br />• Communications Dept. pre -communicated winter freeze precautions <br />• Everbridge precautionary boil notice to all customers <br />• Performed all turn off requests same day received <br />• Resolved site problems as quickly as conditions allowed <br />• Strong teamwork with whole organization and GBRA/Jacobs staff <br />City of San Marcos Page 5 <br />