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The City of Rawlins has made progress regarding water infrastructure. Please read below for information regarding the Pretreatment Plant, newly received grants, contractors, a state-funded Water Master Plan, and more.
Pretreatment Plant
Over the next month, we will be doing pretreatment plant test runs. These will help us determine the specific chemicals for the pretreatment process and identify the updates that are needed for efficient operation. For the test runs, we will operate at full capacity which will create more water than used by our community during the winter. We are currently reducing the levels of the large low-pressure tanks to have storage available for the test run water. When the pretreatment plant test runs occur, the flavor/smell may be affected due to use of reservoir water but will continue to meet all safety requirements. If there are unforeseen issues, we may enact “Limited Water Use” while the tanks are refilled. This is our method to ask the community to cut back on all water use as much as possible to allow the tanks to refill. More details can be found at www.rawlinswy.gov/water.
The Pretreatment Plant has never been operational for more than a few months at a time. The City often had sufficient water to meet community water needs without relying on chemical treatment of water, which is very expensive. The proper chemical process also had not been pinpointed, which led to issues with the regular treatment plant. The City of Rawlins and Y2 Consultants have been working since this summer to prepare for regular operations of the plant. We have addressed leaking basins, poorly wired pumps, noncommunicative control panels, failed valves, chemical safety issues, created proper procedures for safety and maintenance, and the set-up and stocking of the laboratory. We have also researched and identified the proper process and chemicals for our specific treatment process. For the full report from Y2 Consultants to council on December 13, 2022, visit www.rawlinswy.gov/water on the reports page.
Depending on the amount of water available this year from Sage Creek Basin and the Nugget Wells, we estimate that the outdoor irrigation restrictions may include 2 turf waterings per week with trees, bushes, gardens, etc. watered with a manually operated hose as needed. The goal is to have the pretreatment plant fully operational by the beginning of May, so we are prepared for the peak demand later in the summer. Once the pretreatment plant test runs have been performed, we will provide further information on expected water restrictions for Summer 2023.
Grants & Loans
We recently received just under $2 million in funding from Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) for our water infrastructure! To date, in reverse chronological order, we have:
- Received $962,951.14 CDBG to update the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System (SCADA) for the City of Rawlins Treatment Plants which help monitor and automate various components of the water treatment service system.
- Received $998,400.00 CDBG to repair and replace the Air/Vac valves, blow-off valves, and portions of our main 32-mile steel transmission line from the Sage Creek Basin Springs to the City of Rawlins Treatment Plant
- Applied for an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Grant for $917,562.73 for the Replacement of Spring Boxes in the Sage Creek Basin with a hearing and decision in late February 2023
- Received $675,000 Mineral Royalties Grant from the State Land and Investment Board (SLIB MRG) for design of blow-offs and design and installation of cathodic protection on our main 32-mile streel transmission line
- Allocated $2.052 million of Chokecherry Impact Assistance funds for water infrastructure (Feb & Oct 2022)
- $1.317 million for Phase I and other waterline infrastructure needs
- $535,000 for the pretreatment plant start-up project
- $200,000 for the initial design phase of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System (SCADA)
- Allocated $737,980 of ARPA Stimulus Funding to Phase 1: Replacement of 10,000 feet of Woodstave Pipeline
- Lent $812,019 of General Fund to the Water Enterprise Fund for Phase 1: Replacement of 10,000 feet of Woodstave Pipeline
- Allocated 2019 “6th Penny” Specific Purpose Tax funds to building a raw water line to the cemetery
On January 17, 2023, City Council approved hiring WWC Engineering and Girt Communications to assist with project planning and timelines, pursuit of loans and grants, reporting to Council, weekly community water updates, and more.
Rawlins Water Master Plan
The Wyoming Water Development Commission (WWDC) is currently seeking a consultant to prepare a City of Rawlins Water Supply Master Plan. This $250,000 level 1 study has been proposed to the 2023 Legislative Session, and if approved, will be entirely paid by the State of Wyoming. The WWDC is currently seeking statements of interest and qualifications from professional consulting firms for the Rawlins Water Master Plan.
Additional Updates
In addition to the pre-treatment plant, the City of Rawlins has been making progress on additional water infrastructure projects.
- Sage Creek Basin: The replacement of the 10,000 feet of woodstave pipeline in the Sage Creek Basin is functionally complete and fully connected. Any impact this replacement has on water flows will be difficult to determine. This is due to the various factors, such as snowpack/drought and lack of meters throughout our collection system. We are monitoring flows from the springs and may be able to provide rough estimates this fall.
- General Maintenance and Repairs on the 32-mile Transmission Line Projects: We have replaced three of the Air/Vac Valves on the 32- mile transmission line from the springs into town. We also vacuumed, reinsulated, and winterized 45+ air/vac vaults on the transmission line and in the Sage Creek Basin.
- Arbor Day: The Parks & Recreation Department and UW Extension Office are hosting an Arbor Day Celebration and Education Event on June 2 and 3, including education talks on water-wise landscaping.
Original source can be found here.
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