ATWATER - Crews from South Dakota were called in last night to thaw out Atwater's 100,000 gallon water tower.
Following several days of sub-zero temperatures this week, water in the tower had turned into an ice-cube Wednesday, with a small pocket of air in the middle, said City Clerk Goldie Smith.
If the problem had gone on much longer the tower could've been structurally damaged. "Kind of like a pop can in the deep freeze," said Smith.
The freeze-up was discovered Wednesday morning when residents were getting intermittent water pressure. Some weren't getting any water at all.
The town's public works crew was unable to fix the problem themselves and called in professionals, who shot jets of hot steam into the tower. The municipal water system is working well now, said Smith.
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With another frigid night in the forecast tonight, Smith said they hope to avoid a repeat of the situation by manually operating the pumps day and night to keep water moving in the tower.
The South Dakota company was reportedly headed for a northern Minnesota town to fix a frozen water tower. "We're not alone," said Smith.
