Boothbay Region Water District averted a potential emergency recently thanks to the quick and skillful actions of a local sewer employee.

The water district’s back-up generator malfunctioned Sept. 13 due to a series of voltage fluctuations. Boothbay Harbor Sewer District technician Dave Pratt responded to an emergency call and promptly restored the generator’s service.

The problem was discovered as the generator’s large Detroit diesel engine malfunctioned. Water district chief treatment plant operator John Orne diagnosed the problem as the day-tank fuel pump tripped out and failed to automatically reset.

Orne called the water district’s technician, but he was 10 hours away, responding to an emergency in Limestone. At that point, water district officials knew it would require somebody local with experience with Detroit diesel motors to get the primary back-up generator up and running.

This resulted in contacting Pratt.

General Manager John Ziegra wrote sewer district superintendent Chris Higgins a letter last week praising Pratt for his quick response, professionalism and willingness to assist in the emergency. Ziegra read the letter to the water district’s trustees during their Sept. 22 meeting.

In the letter, Ziegra describes Pratt’s prompt arrival and correcting the generator’s issue with the motor, while simultaneously training water district staff how to correct the problem.

“Dave was offered compensation for his time, but he refused, stating he was on-call with the sewer district and considered this to be a part of his job,” wrote Ziegra. “I admire his dedication to duty.”

In other action, Ziegra updated the trustees about a lack of water pressure complaint in East Boothbay. Ziegra investigated the complaint on Sept. 11 issued by two Mariner Way year-round residents during the last meeting. Residents Harry Dudley and Nick McPhee complained water pressure had been low for a decade, but this year, the problem was worse than it’s ever been.

Ziegra reported there was a problem, but it will take more time determining the cause. The district is monitoring the pressure through sensors to determine if the problem is caused by a leak.

“Most likely the main is severely undersized, full of sediment, possibly leaking,and probably heavily tuberculated. It has no flush points, so this is just an educated guess,” he said.

The trustees approved Ziegra’s recommendation to place the project on the district’s preliminary work plan. The Mariner Way Water Main Replacement Project has an estimated $50,000 cost. The project is scheduled for 2018 unless the district discovers the problem is more severe.

The trustees will meet next at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13 in the water district business office.