Council approves final pump purchase

MARSHALL — Following a week of water outages and reduced pressure due to a major water main break, the City of Marshall is taking steps to strengthen its water infrastructure. According to our news partner KETK, at Thursday’s city council meeting, officials unanimously approved a contract with Smith Pump Company to purchase a solar pump for the raw water pump station. The $356,118 project will add a fourth pump to the system, marking the final step in restoring full pumping capacity.

The decision comes after widespread disruptions tied to a March 17 water main break that forced closures across the community. Marshall ISD canceled classes and many local businesses temporarily closed down as water pressure dropped and outages spread.

City officials also issued a boil-water notice, an emergency burn ban and a disaster declaration during the crisis. Water service was fully restored on March 22, but city leaders say long-term improvements are necessary to prevent similar issues in the future.

According to Interim Director of Public Works Doug Box, the newly approved pump will complete the station’s intended four-pump configuration, which is critical for moving raw water through the system. The station plays a key role in transporting raw water to the treatment system. Previously, the city faced reliability issues when the system was operating with only two pumps. At one point, a failure left the city relying on just a single water pump. Council members noted that restoring all four pumps has been a priority over the past year, and this purchase represents the final piece of that effort.