HUMBOLDT — Things turned sour in Humboldt Thursday when an underwater examination of raw water intake procedures revealed a proliferation of zebra mussels as well as malfunctioning equipment.
About 10 years ago the mechanism that controls a valve on one of two Neosho River intakes malfunctioned. On Thursday city officials had a hired diver from Gardner take a look — feel, actually, since the murky water prevented him from seeing past the port in his helmet — as to what was holding things up.
Within an hour diver Chris Smith asked for tools to try to free the frozen shut valve. No luck.