Thursday, April 16, 2026 |
Photo – Rawlins Water Treatment Facility – Bigfoot 99 file photo
The Rawlins officials addressed the City Council’s questions about the water system.
The City of Rawlins relies on a 32‑mile transmission pipeline to bring drinking water from the Sage Creek Springs to the water treatment plant. Portions of the system date to the 1920s, with some sections still relying on century‑old wood stave pipe. In 2022, the city replaced roughly 10,000 feet of wooden lines with modern PVC variants.
A 2023 Wyoming Water Development Office-funded study identified $50 million in essential water infrastructure repairs across four priority projects: revitalizing the Sage Creek Springs, repairing the transmission line, addressing the high‑pressure pipe beneath Interstate 80, and replacing the city’s two deteriorating treated‑water storage tanks.
The study recommended focusing on transmission line repairs, estimated at $5.7 million. Last May, the city received a $2.835 million grant from the Wyoming Water Development Commission to replace blowoff valves and the cathodic protection system on the 32‑mile line. Blowoff valves allow operators to divert water for maintenance, and cathodic protection prevents the steel pipe from corroding. The city is required to match the grant, bringing the total to $5,67 million. Since 2022, the city has increased water rates by nearly 78% to help pay for the water infrastructure improvements.
During the April 7th Rawlins City Council meeting, City Manager Matt Hall announced that a contractor will be selected later this month to perform the transmission line repairs. If everything goes to plan, Hall said the project may begin this summer.
The Sage Creek Springs, which supply the city with the majority of its drinking water, rely on annual snowpack and rainfall to replenish the underground aquafer. Later in the meeting, after noting this year’s unusually dry winter, Councilman Derek Elliot asked if water restrictions are likely this summer. City Manager Hall responded that it’s too early to tell.
During water restrictions, residents must follow mandatory irrigation schedules and are prohibited from wasting water. Violators can be fined up to $750.
Next, Councilman Elliot asked if any potential water restrictions will also affect the Rawlins Rochelle Golf Course. Mayor Jacquelin Wells said that, unlike the city, which relies on the Sage Creek Springs, the golf course is watered directly from the North Platte River.
In the event of severe water restrictions, Councilman Elliot asked if river water could be rerouted from the golf course to the city’s water pretreatment plant, where it could be processed and added to the municipal supply. Public Works Director Cody Dill said that technically, that option exists. Dill added that the golf course receives a constant supply of raw river water, far more than the city could use on a regular basis.
Councilman Derek Elliot asked if the golf course water could be diverted to the water treatment plant and processed into drinking water. Public Works Director Cody Dill said it can, but that the flows are periodically shut off to prevent the reservoirs from overflowing.
Dill said he’s been in talks with state representatives about the city’s water concerns. In the meantime, staff will begin conserving water to minimize the need for restrictions on residents.
On a side note, the water pretreatment plant was constructed in the year 2000 to supplement the city’s primary drinking supply during periods of high demand. The facility removes sediment from North Platte River water before sending it to the water treatment plant. Using unprocessed water would clog the treatment plant’s filters, significantly increasing maintenance demands on the system.
The pretreatment plant was rarely used for nearly two decades, until the 2022 municipal water system failure that left Rawlins and Sinclair residents under a strict boil advisory for nearly a week. Afterward, the city used more than $500,000 in impact assistance funding to bring the pretreatment plant back online for future emergencies.
