ESG handles bacterial testing amid busted mains

Even though water is supplied by a county system to the New Haven and Stonebridge neighborhoods east of Perry, the rest of the city’s residents are provided water through the services of ESG Operations, Inc. — a utility operations and public works management company working in the government and private sector across the Southeast.

Just like in other cases of water main breakages, the most recent break occurred in the Stonebridge neighborhood January 7, and ESG personnel were deployed to conduct bacteria testing while the area remained under a boil advisory for a day.

Travis Falcione, project manager with ESG, said the testing provides a way to keep residents safe.

“So usually, any time there’s a new water main installed, or if there’s a main break that occurs, we have to collect a bacteriological sample on that section of water pipe,” Falcione said.

Personnel keep their eye out for fecal coliform bacterium among other forms, and the information is relayed to residents as soon as it becomes available.

The testing process isn’t a very complicated one, Falcione said.

“To collect the bacteria, all you need is a 250 milliliter bottle, one operator and a spicket or a fire hydrant,” he said. “You just let the water run until you get your chlorine residual where it needs to be, and then you collect the sample.”

ESG operates a number of departments within the city of Perry, including: water and wastewater treatment, collections department, distribution department, natural gas department, watershed protection and industrial stormwater use.

According to Falcione, since 2014, the New Haven neighborhood has seen 10 water main breakages while Stonebridge saw five. Each case has had its respective bacteria testing completed to ensure the safety of residents.

“It all depends on how many people are affected,” he said. “If you were able to repair the main break while it was ‘alive,’ or you had to ‘kill the main’ — and when I say ‘kill the main,’ which [means] close all the valves off.

“It’s just a lot of determinations that go on in that. We always err on the side of caution, you know. We don’t want anyone getting sick or anything like that, so we try to more or less collect a bacteria sample on all of them just to make sure the public’s not harmed.”

The city of Perry website’s Water System page states if you observe a broken main, water running from the ground or a leaking hydrant, Customer Service can be reached during the business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. by calling (478) 988-2754. If after those hours, call 911 and personnel will be sent to handle the situation.

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