Another Saturday morning rings in the Red Phone. The Crimson
Crusader rides again seeking answers and truth throughout San
Benito County. Got a question? Need an answer? Call the Red
Phone
– always waiting, always online, always at 635-9219.
Another Saturday morning rings in the Red Phone. The Crimson Crusader rides again seeking answers and truth throughout San Benito County. Got a question? Need an answer? Call the Red Phone – always waiting, always online, always at 635-9219.
A picture’s worth a thousand words
A caller wonders what happened with the water pipe that burst near San Benito High School on Wednesday, Nov. 3.
“I saw the water that spilled by the high school a couple weeks ago and I noticed the picture in the paper that showed people’s yards were flooded. I was wondering what happened to cause so much water to be spilled.”
Good question, here’s the answer:
“It broke,” Hollister’s Utilities Supervisor Mark Clifford joked. He said the water main break, which happens on average three or four times a year, was a fairly minor event that only affected three local residents for about 10 hours. Approximately 8,000 to 10,000 gallons of water leaked from the pipe before city workers could shut it off.
“It sounds like a lot, but in a day the city consumes about 3 million gallons,” Clifford said.
Although the pipes running below the city are of various ages, some as old as 50 or 60 years by Clifford’s estimate, it was a fairly new pipe that burst. Clifford believed the pipe to be about 20 years old, most pipes last an average of 30 to 50 years.
“There’s certain things that will influence the life of a pipe like the pH of the water running through it, the amount of water running through it and even the pH of the ground.”
All in all, Clifford said, it was a minor event that made for a good picture, but really wasn’t a big deal.
“I’ve seen a lot worse, but not here,” he said.
San Benito High School Superintendent Jean Burns Slater said that although the school was affected, they were not involved in the clean up and the spill didn’t affect any school functions.
“It caused some problems with flooding and we were a little worried because we had homecoming, but everything worked out,” Burns Slater said.
Thanks for making SBC great
A caller tips his hat to the numerous volunteers helping nonprofit groups succeed in San Benito County.
“I just attended the fourth annual Philanthropy Day Awards Luncheon and was amazed at the number of nonprofit groups and community volunteers working to make San Benito County a better place. I honestly had no idea this county had such a big heart. I never realized so many people were active in making a difference here and everyone involved in these philanthropic pursuits deserves our sincere gratitude. It was truly heartwarming to see how many people are so dedicated to helping others. Thank you.”
Well put! Thanks everyone – you know who you are.
