Wednesday, January 14, 2026 |
Photo – A section of the wooden pipeline that moved water to Rawlins – Bigfoot99 file photo
Work to improve flow at the Sage Creek Springs will wait until next summer, despite the warmer‑than‑average winter.
During the January 6th Rawlins City Council meeting, Councilman Bruce Seilaff asked if the city was prepared to begin revitalization efforts at the Sage Creek Springs. Councilman Seilaff said the additional water may be necessary following the dry winter.
Located south of Rawlins, the Sage Creek Basin is a critical part of the city’s drinking water supply. City officials have been working for years to modernize the aging system of collection boxes and increase the flow of water.
In 2022, the Wyoming Water Development Office hired an outside contractor to conduct an in‑depth analysis of the city’s water infrastructure. The study identified $50 million in essential repairs across four priority projects: revitalizing the Sage Creek Springs, repairing blow‑off valves on the transmission line from the springs to the water treatment plant, addressing the high‑pressure line beneath Interstate 80, and replacing the city’s two treated‑water storage tanks.
Last March, then–City Manager Tom Sarvey updated the Rawlins City Council on the status of the Sage Creek Springs revitalization project. Sarvey said the project design should be completed by the end of this summer. In the meantime, city staff will work to ensure continued flow from the spring boxes.
At the January 6th meeting, Councilman Bruce Seilaff said he believed that work on the spring boxes was scheduled to begin by winter. Public Works Director Cody Dill explained that the project has not yet been engineered, with construction now expected later this year. Although the plans will be ready to bid afterward, Dill said the city lacks the financial resources to move forward and will need outside funding, such as state grants.
While the Sage Creek Springs revitalization project is temporarily on hold, work to repair the water transmission line is nearly ready to begin. Last summer, the city received $2.835 million from the Wyoming Water Development Commission to rehabilitate or replace the cathodic protection system and blow‑off valves on the Sage Creek Springs water transmission pipeline. City officials are waiting for the WWDC to approve their design plans and expect the project to begin this summer.
