What was perceived to be a water leak on Thursday, resulting in a loss of pressure on the western end of Boyle County, was really the combination of some small leaks and a large spike in demand, said Danville City Engineer Earl Coffey.

“We weren’t catching up that fast; our tanks weren’t keeping up,” Coffey said.

The situation led to a purchase of water from Washington County.

Coffey said the problem is a common one this time of year when the temperatures drop, as many customers choose to keep their water running constantly in an effort to keep pipes from freezing.

“You’re trying to make sure that your water doesn’t drop below a point (in the tanks) where you do have a problem,” he said.

Keeping enough water in supply tanks means if there is a substantial leak or if the number of homes running water increases, there won’t also be bigger issues.

Coffey said it’s also not uncommon for water districts to purchase from one another when temperatures drop. Stanford is currently purchasing water from Danville, something that doesn’t typically happen, he said.

“We have a heightened sense of concern,” he said, regarding the western end of the county. There are two water tanks — one is a water tower and one is a stand pipe (like a small silo) that is smaller than other elevated water tanks. The demand in that part of the county has increased since the stand pipe was built.

“It doesn’t take a huge leak to drain that part of the system dry,” Coffey said. “We need more water storage on that end of the county.”

A tower is being planned as part of a nearly $2 million Perryville Road/Corporate Drive water project Danville has in the works. It will be an elevated water tower, like the one that currently stands on Hustonville Road in Danville.

The water tower will hold more water than the current stand pipe, but “most importantly, it will hold water at the correct elevation so the pressure is sustained better,” Coffey said.