THURSDAY, May 21, 2026 |
Photo – Council member Bruce Sielaff, City Manager Matt Hall, and Public Works Director Cody Dill look at documents with Sunrise Engineering Engineer CJ Walker – Courtesy City of Rawlins
Rawlins officials approved a project to protect water service during emergency repairs.
In late April, multiple breaks occurred on the high‑pressure line feeding the Hospital and Painted Hills storage tanks in Rawlins, which together supply treated drinking water to roughly half the city. As additional breaks were discovered and tank levels decreased, residents were asked to conserve water. The tanks dropped to 35 percent of capacity before water service was fully restored.
Public Works Director Cody Dill reported a loss of 1.55 million gallons of treated water during the weeklong incident and estimated repair costs at $35,000 to $40,000.
At Tuesday evening’s Rawlins City Council meeting, officials discussed a resolution to declare a water‑infrastructure emergency, which would allow the city to allocate funding for repair projects. The city paid Sunrise Engineering $103,900 to develop a plan to avoid additional large‑scale interruptions in water service during future high‑pressure line failures. Sunrise Engineer CJ Walker began by explaining that the city’s water treatment plant supplies two systems: a 12‑inch low‑pressure line and a 20‑inch high‑pressure line. Walker said the low‑pressure system cannot feed the high‑pressure line because a pump is needed to move water to higher elevations.
Walker said there is no way to maintain water service to higher-elevation areas of the city if the high‑pressure line fails, a point underscored by last month’s series of breaks. He said residents must depend on the water already stored in the Hospital and Painted Hills tanks while crews repair the line.
As a self‑described fan of redundancy, Walker said the city should add a backup system to avoid major service disruptions when the high‑pressure line is down for repairs. Walker added that redundancy would give crews the time needed to properly fix any breaks in the line.
Walker recommended installing a pressure‑booster pump station at the intersection of Date and 9th Streets, where the 20‑inch high‑pressure line meets the 12‑inch low‑pressure pipe. He said a pump at that location would allow crews to reroute the low‑level flow into the high‑pressure system when needed.
The booster station would tie into the city’s existing computer‑controlled SCADA system, allowing crews to remotely reroute low‑pressure water into the high‑pressure line.
Walker said as the high-pressure line continues to deteriorate, the city will experience additional failures. With the booster station in place, he said crews can take the 20-inch pipe out of service long enough to perform major repair work.
Walker said the high‑pressure line’s route under Interstate 80 and the Union Pacific train tracks makes repair work more complex, time‑consuming, and expensive, further underscoring the need for redundancy in the system.
Vice Mayor Darril Garner asked if the 20-inch lines in the city are in danger of failure. Public Works Director Cody Dill said he is only worried about the transmission line running beneath the interstate and tracks.
To install the pressure‑booster station, a portion of Date Street would need to become one‑way to allow the sidewalk to extend into the road, creating space for the pump. Sunrise Engineer Walker said the station would occupy roughly a ten‑square‑foot section of the sidewalk.
Walker said the city can either build a small structure or install a cage to protect the booster station from vandalism, adding that an enclosed building would also help reduce pump noise. The final design will depend on how much money the city is willing to spend.
Vice Mayor Darril Garner read the resolution declaring a water‑infrastructure emergency in Rawlins, and the city council voted to have Sunrise Engineering design the booster station. The design is expected to be finished in August or September. Barring delays, Walker said the city can select a contractor in October, adding that the work should take about three weeks.
City officials have stated that more information about the project, including the potential cost, should be available next week.
