April 7, 2023 |
Photo – Rawlins Water Treatment Facility – Bigfoot99 file photo
In Rawlins, newly discovered issues at the mothballed pretreatment plant have delayed preliminary testing until next month.
After last summer’s disastrous water crisis, city officials decided to reopen the long dormant water pretreatment plant. Constructed in the year 2000 to draw and chemically treat water out of the North Platte River, the facility has hardly been used in the 23 years since it was built.
Rawlins has an existing treatment plant that cleans water drawn from the Sage Creek Spring, south of the city. Spring water is naturally less contaminated than water exposed to the air and doesn’t require as much chemical treatment as river water. The city is bringing the pretreatment plant back online to handle sterilization of the river water and prevent the standard treatment plant from being overwhelmed.
Testing on the pretreatment was originally scheduled to begin in January. The facility was planned to be fully operational by May. Unspecified delays have pushed the dates back.
At Tuesday’s city council meeting, Interim City Manager Tom Sarvey said the plant is nearly ready for what is called a wet run, but workers discovered a broken piece of equipment.
A clay valve is an electronically controlled gate that allows technicians to remotely administer the proper chemical mixture to the incoming water. Sarvey said the broken valve has postponed the wet run.
Sarvey said the part is on order and is expected to arrive in two or three weeks. The wet run is now scheduled during the first week of May.
Rawlins has developed a water master plan with the Wyoming Water Development Commission. In January, the WWDC advertised for a contractor to perform a level one study of the city’s plan with a budget of $250,000.
A level one study consists of identifying the need for a project and recommending to the state legislature whether the project should continue. Sarvey said the city is prepared to select a contractor.
After the wet run of the pre-treatment facility in early May, Sarvey said he will be prepared to make recommendations about water restrictions heading into summer.
