May 7, 2024 |
Photo – Notice on City of Rawlins website – Courtesy City of Rawlins
A water main break in Rawlins Sunday night caused the city to issue a water conservation order. Rawlins public works crews were able to repair the leak by Monday night.
On Sunday evening, workers at the Rawlins water treatment plant noticed that water was flowing to the city’s water storage tanks, but tank levels were not increasing. Public Works Director Cody Dill said his crew shut down the water main feeding the west side of the city until the leak could be found.
By 8:00 Monday morning, public works crews had discovered the location of the leak. Two hours later, the pipe was dug up and a high-pressure clamp was applied to the affected portion of the line. Public Works Director Dill said the city avoided another water crisis. Dill said he’ll find out if the repair is sufficient on Tuesday morning.
When public works crews dug down to the leak they found a softball sized hole in the line. Dill wasn’t able to pinpoint the exact cause of the hole, but said the age of the pipe likely played a significant role in the leak.
Dill said the heavy-duty clamps applied to the leak are designed to last the lifetime of the pipe.
During the April 2nd Rawlins city council meeting, City Manager Tom Sarvey said the city’s water infrastructure needs more than $42 million worth of repairs. Sarvey broke down the needs of the water system into two levels of urgency: Priority One and Priority Two.
Speaking to Bigfoot99 Monday evening, Public Works Director Dill said replacing the out-of-date ductile cast iron pipe on the west side of the city is a priority one project.
Dill said while the water main was shut off, the Painted Hills and hospital tanks contained enough water to avoid a shortage. Just to be safe, Dill said the community was asked to conserve water until the break was fixed. The public works director thanked residents for abiding by the water conservation order.
Dill said the leak could have been much worse than a single fist-sized hole. The public works director thanked his crew for repairing the water main as quickly as they did.
Monday’s water main break is another symptom of the city’s failing water infrastructure. During the April 16th Rawlins city council meeting, City Manager Sarvey recommended raising the standard residential water rate by 80% to pay for essential repairs of the system.
Per the city’s contract with Sinclair, Rawlins must give its neighbor a 30-day notice of any changes to the water rates.
The Rawlins city council is set to vote on the 80% water rate increase during its May 21st regular meeting. The rates are set to go into effect 60 days after being approved.
