Officials learned there was a water problem from residents instead of monitoring system

Mayor Lynn Ragsdale told the City Council on Monday that he wants to find out why a monitoring system the city pays a lot of money for didn’t notify officials that the big water tower was getting low on Sunday afternoon.

In fact, the way they found out was the old-fashioned way – people called to complain that they didn’t have water.

Police Chief Don Melton said his department received multiple calls. “The sensors should have notified us before then – but they did not.”

The water department kept the tower from emptying further by opening the valve to let Missouri American water flow into the city’s system and increase the pressure.

Part of the reason for the low water level was a 10-inch main that broke. It was fixed on Monday.

Webb City has an agreement to purchase water as needed from Missouri American, the company that supplies Joplin with water. But the City Council believes it is cheaper for residents to meet demand with the municipal system.

Nevertheless, William Rukle, wastewater utilities director, said it’s good to keep the connection to Missouri American for emergencies.

Had residents not called in to say there’s a problem, Ragsdale said the water level could have dropped so far as to require a boil order.