Saratoga Officials Discuss Water Storage

DECEMBER 3, 2024 |

Photo – Saratoga water tank – Bigfoot99 file photo

Saratoga officials explored their options as state officials refused to fund the construction of a new water storage tank in the town.

On November 13^th, the Wyoming Water Development Commission and the Select Water Committee met in Casper to decide on over 40 funding requests from municipalities across the state.

Saratoga officials asked the Commission for $4.316 million to construct a new water storage tank. However, the town’s request was not recommended for approval by Wyoming Water Development Office Director Jason Mead.

During the November 19^th Saratoga town council meeting, Public Works Director Emery Penner explained that the Wyoming Water Development Commission said the town has sufficient water storage for its population and a new tank is unnecessary. With proper maintenance, the existing water tower should last for another decade or more. For those reasons, Penner said the state has refused to fund a new water tank.

In the summer of 2023, following a demand made two years earlier by the Environmental Protection Agency, the town demolished one of the two water storage tanks that stood on the south side. The 500,000-gallon water tower, which was built in 2002, was constructed of bolted steel sections. It leaked for years, with water escaping through the seams between the segments. White stains down the tower’s round wall showed the leaks.

At the same site, the older tower was built in 1979. It is constructed of welded steel and stands as the town’s lone treated water storage tank.

At the November 19^th town council meeting, Penner said the town can still pursue other state funding opportunities to construct a back-up water tank. However, Penner suggested that the money might be better spent on upgrading the town’s aging water infrastructure.

Penner informed the council that a recent inspection of the remaining water tower showed that it is still in good condition and likely to last until the town can find a way to pay for a new treated water storage tank.