LETTERS: WATER CRISIS WAS AVERTED

To the editor:

The city of Cape Girardeau would like to express its sincere appreciation to the Southeast Missourian and area media for keeping our citizens informed during the recent pump failure at the Cape Rock Water Treatment Plant.

Your four-day coverage of the situation kept residential and commercial users up to date and informed.

Once our citizens were alerted, they took action. There was measurable water conservation both Friday and Saturday. These efforts allowed the city to maintain the water supply at an operational level and prevented additional use restrictions.

The lower consumption coupled with the replacement of the intake pumps allowed water production to return to near normal capacity within 24 hours.

Over a year ago the city began looking for solutions to reduce damage of floodwater on the intake system. Engineers are working to produce a permanent solution to ensure a reliable supply of water during flooding conditions.

Again, thank you for your help. The partnership formed during this time among the media, the citizens and the city served us all very well.

SHERRI M. FINLEY, Public Awareness Coordinator

City of Cape Girardeau