DeKalb mayor says municipal officials are still assessing severe winter storm damage

All five of DeKalb's Public Works crew members stand outside their municipal public works station during the recent winter snowstorm, which brought several days of below-freezing temperatures to the Texarkana area last week. The crew members spent 12- to 15-hour days working on municipal water pipe ruptures throughout the city. (Submitted photo)
All five of DeKalb's Public Works crew members stand outside their municipal public works station during the recent winter snowstorm, which brought several days of below-freezing temperatures to the Texarkana area last week. The crew members spent 12- to 15-hour days working on municipal water pipe ruptures throughout the city. (Submitted photo)

DeKALB, Texas -DeKalb Public Works crews are still assessing the recent sub-freezing damage caused to municipal streets along with the city's water utility system.

Mayor Lowell Walker said Friday that city work crews had to repair about 10 water lines during the recent snowstorm.

Walker said while work crews managed to keep residential water use intact throughout the storm, water pipe ruptures caused the city to lose 573,000 gallons of water each day of the storm. This is nearly three times the amount of the 200,000 gallons city residents use as a normal daily amount - minus the damage caused by the storm-induced pipe leaks.

"During the last four days (Feb, 23-26), we've been reading water meters and checking for any other possible water leaks that may have occurred," Walker said. "Our five work crewmen managed to repair all 10 areas where we found leaks. During the storm, there were about six of us altogether who had 12- to 15-hour workdays for several days. We were able to continue to supply water to residents throughout the storm.

The city declared a State of Weather Disaster on Tuesday in an effort to pursue any and all local, state and federal financial aid possible to help repair the town's water utility system.

Walker added that the city is waiting on word from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to find out if DeKalb can receive as much as $40,000 to pay for damage to the municipal water system.

"We may also be able to get some help from the Texas Department of Emergency Management," he added. "We also applied to the Texas Water Development Board for $7 million."

Besides water system, Walker said about $300,000 will also be needed to help repair several of the municipal streets that appeared to have suffered some structural damage caused by contraction and expansion owing to extreme weather temperatures, which ranged from minus 2 degrees up to 77 degrees when the weather improved.

"Right now, I'm guessing that maybe as many as 70% of our city streets received some damage," he added.

Meanwhile, Walker said the recent weather damage shouldn't prevent DeKalb from receiving $2 million in federal grant funds for general municipal service upgrades. The money will be coming from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration next month.

The funds, which could be available by March 8, will be used for updating and improving the municipal water and sewer systems, he said. These improvements will, in turn, help spur the city's business growth.

"First, we will need to conduct engineering plans and specifications for this project," he said. "Then the plans will have to be approved by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality."

Walker added that this municipal systems improvement project money will allow for about 31,625 feet of linear sewer pipe line to be installed.

"We will also be able to install 98 manholes as well as 850 new water meters for the city's businesses and residential homes," Walker had previously said. "We hope to start installation work by the end of this year and have it completed sometime in 2022."

Walker said that in addition to helping spur commercial development, the city is needing to replace much of its outdated water and sewer system anyway.

"These replacements will actually save the city money in the long run, because the systems we have now date back to about the late 1940s to early 1950s." he said.

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