Abbeville’s water plant part on its way from Kentucky

Last week two parts that helped the clarifier turn at the water plant broke.
Abbeville Mayor Roslyn White described the clarifier as the “’water softener of the water plant’. It is what settles suspended solids from liquid, allowing water to become clear.”
When the clarifier quit turning last Thursday, it challenged city workers to find out why.
On Friday, mechanics determined a 37-inch diameter bearing weighing more than 100 pounds needed changing, along with a large chain that turns the clarifier.
“The clarifier is 14 years old,” said Mayor White. “We determined we had a bad bearing and chain. There were no part numbers visible, and the equipment is dated. This is not a bearing that you can just pick up locally, and many parts needed for municipal operations have a long lead time right now due to supply and demand issues. We had to do quite a bit of research to find the correct part number. It took looking through old paper records to verify the specs. Once we knew exactly what we needed, we were able to find a place that had the bearing we needed in stock. It was in Kentucky, and now it is on its way.”
Mayor White said it took a team effort to find the correct part number for the bearing over the weekend, and also a team of city workers to empty the clarifier, remove the bearing and chain. The electrical bucket truck had to lift the bearing off of the assembly.
The fire department and street crew also assisted.
She said the parts should arrive in Abbeville Thursday morning, and a mechanic is lined up to replace the bearing and the chain and hopefully get the unit back up. If all goes well, the clarifier could be operating by Thursday night.
Mayor White did say it will likely take days before customers see clear water.
“It is not pretty, but it is still safe to drink and use. It is hard water,” she said.
“If everything goes according to plan, there is a possibility the water could begin clearing up by the end of the weekend, but it could take longer, we won’t know until we get it back up and running,” Mayor White said.