Getting TANKED

Diving crew checks out Cornelius’ water facility and comes up with a smidgen of sediment

By Mateusz Perkowski

The Forest Grove News-Times, Aug 16, 2006, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Mateusz Perkowski / News-Times

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In his career as a diver, Jason Fitzpatrick has never uncovered pirate’s treasure or a long-forgotten shipwreck.

Of course, he isn’t out exploring the deep seas. Instead, he ventures inside water towers and reservoirs across the country – and his most dramatic discoveries have involved dead rodents and birds.

“I tell some people, ‘Why do you think your water tastes like chlorine?’” Fitzpatrick said.

Luckily, no such findings were made when Fitzpatrick’s diving crew – part of the LiquiVision Technology company – inspected and cleaned the water reservoir in Cornelius last Friday.

All they found was one-eighth of an inch of sediment, which they removed with the patented LiquiVac underwater vacuum.

“I’m surprised they didn’t find any former staff or city council members in there,” joked Richard Meyers, development and operations director for Cornelius, which last year went through a spate of high-profile staff changes.

The reservoir was last cleaned 15 years ago, when public works staff completed the job the old fashioned way: by draining the water and climbing in the tank.

“It’s a lot more time consuming,” said Mark Crowell, Cornelius operations manager. “This way, we don’t have to risk not having any backup water.”

Aside from keeping gunk from entering people’s drinking water, the LiquiVision crew’s other purpose was to get a peak at the inner structure of the reservoir. Cracks, leaks, and other problems must be repaired before they become serious. Elsewhere, decrepit tanks have burst and flooded residential areas.

In the case of the Cornelius reservoir, the crew didn’t come across any serious issues, so nearby residents don’t need to worry about being crushed by a 1.5 million-gallon wave anytime soon. However, the diver did notice some exposed rebar in the walls, which the crew will grind down and cover with an epoxy during another underwater excursion in the coming months, said Fitzpatrick.

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