January 19, 2024
Photo – Rawlins Water Treatment facility sign – Bigfoot99 file photo
The Rawlins public works director expressed hope this week that the city may not face water restrictions this summer. Drinking water in Rawlins originates in a series of wells and springs south of the city. The water sources are fed through snowmelt and rain. In past years, droughts have triggered strict water regulations during summer months. Last winter’s heavy snowfall may have broken the drought cycle. The city instituted no water restrictions in 2023.
During the January 16th Rawlins city council meeting, Public Works Director Cody Dill said the amount of snow at the spring sites indicates how likely summer water restrictions will be. After last week’s winter storm, Dill said he was confident about the future of the city’s water supply.
Mayor Terry Weickum asked if the city will face water restrictions this year. Dill said he won’t know for sure until April. The public works director added that he believes the springs will provide the city with sufficient water.
Mayor Weickum asked if the newly operational pretreatment plant can handle the city’s water needs if it doesn’t snow more this winter. Dill said the pretreatment plant and the city’s wells should produce around 2 million gallons of clean water a day by themselves.
The 2 million gallons of water produced by the wells and pretreatment plant will be combined with whatever the springs are able to supply. Rawlins residents use roughly 3 million gallons of water per day during the summer months.
Dill said the months of February and March tend to have the heaviest snowfall. The public works director said he is confident the springs will produce enough water to get the city through the summer. Councilman Chris Weisenburg said the snow totals at the spring sites nearly doubled over the past weekend.
Droughts aren’t the only problem the city’s water supply faces. The pipes that transport water from the Beaver and Sage Creek springs, which provide the city with the majority of its drinking water, are failing.
In November, Rawlins was awarded $735,460 by the State Loan and Investment Board to design a new water transmission line. Public Works Director Dill said residents should expect temporary water restrictions once work on the lines gets underway.
To avoid a major disruption to the city’s water supply, Dill said he would like to split the water transmission repair into two projects. The public works director suggested the city do Beaver Creek one summer and Sage Creek the next.
Dill said he’ll have a better idea in April of what water restrictions the city may face in the coming summer. The public works director said he’ll continue to update the city council on the water supply.
