Water pressure is measured in pounds per square inch, or psi. Before the project started, Huber Heights’ water pressure was at 40 psi, which Bergman said is too low for most businesses and households.
The construction of three booster stations, valves and other necessary equipment is complete, and the city has slowly been increasing the water pressure since June.
Bergman said the increase needs to be gradual or it could cause pipes to break.
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Although the city has taken precautions against water main breaks, there have been some in areas with corrosive soil, Bergman said.
Last month the project hit a bump when the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system that monitors the water pressure went out. The system is supposed to call for help when water pressure goes down, but it wasn’t doing that, Bergman said. Pressure went back down to 40 psi during the malfunction.
The water pressure project will increase water pressure only for residences and businesses north of Interstate 70. The city’s water system north of the highway has a much lower water pressure than the rest of Huber Heights. The project will bring that part of the city’s water pressure closer to the rest of Huber Heights, said City Manager Rob Schommer.
Schommer said he has heard from some citizens who are worried about their water pressure being too high once the project is completed. That won’t happen, he said.
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Any “properly installed” household plumbing should be able to withstand the pressure increase, Bergman and Schommer said. So residents won’t need to do anything to their homes once the project is completed.
However, someone who installed a device to boost their water pressure before the project began would need to be mindful of this water pressure project. They will need to decrease their water pressure setting or remove it.
The main reason the city decided to take on this project is that the water pressure for many businesses on Executive Boulevard is too low for fire suppression, Bergman said. As a bonus, the water pressure project will also improve pressure for many Huber Heights residences.
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