August 26, 2022 |
In Rawlins, good news and bad news to report on the water situation.
The final connections from the spring boxes south of town to the new 18-inch PVC line are nearly complete. Crews with RMI Construction report that flows are higher than expected. That’s great news in the long run for the city.
In the short term, however, construction work again raised the turbidity level of the water coming into town.
Rawlins Public information Officer Mira Miller said that means the ban on watering lawns will be extended into next week. Miller added that the limited water use restrictions put into place last weekend when turbidity levels rose are not necessary.
In the meantime, the city’s wells are feeding the treatment plant with water. To maintain the incoming supply of fresh, treatable water from the wells, city crews temporarily opened the flushing hydrant at Miller Hill to divert the turbid water away from Atlantic Rim Reservoir where it usually is stored with well water before being sent down the line for treatment. Mixing the turbid spring water with the well water in Atlantic Rim would mean none of the water could be treat, Miller said Thursday.
Last weekend, the high turbidity levels subsided after a day or two. The same is expected this week. The additional pumps operating at the job site, combined with the amount of water being produced at the spring, might allow normal operations to resume at the treatment plant relatively quickly.
The “no turf” watering ban will be in effect to start the week. Miller said city officials will monitor the situation and ease the ban if the stream flows from the springs south of town allow. Again, indoor water use — showers, laundry, and dish washing – is unaffected.
