NOVEMBER 15, 2024|
Photo – Water department crew watches water running from pipe – Courtesy City of Rawlins
The Wyoming Water Development Commission has given the City of Rawlins $2.8 million to repair its aging water transmission line.
On Wednesday, November 13th, members of the Wyoming Water Development Commission and the Select Water Committee met in Casper to discuss funding requests. More than 40 municipalities were asking for money to pay for various water-related projects.
Rawlins officials were on hand Wednesday to request $2.8 million to rehabilitate the 30 miles of pipeline that brings water from the Sage Creek Springs to the water treatment plant.
Before the city could ask for funding, Wyoming Water Development Office Project Manager George Moser reviewed the recently completed water master plan. Moser said the plan shows that Rawlins should focus on repairing the blow-off valves on its aging water transmission line.
Moser explained that the master plan also identified three other high priority projects, including completing rehabilitation efforts at the Sage Creek Springs, replacing a high-pressure line running into the city, and installing new water storage tanks. However, the project manager recommended giving the transmission line repairs the highest priority.
Moser said the water master plan estimates the cost of fixing all four high priority projects at $27 million. Including the work the city is already doing. Moser said the price tag could be as high as $30 million to make the system fully operational again.
Moser said depending on the types of grants the city receives, he expects Rawlins’ water customers will need to pay an additional $14 to $25 a month to cover the cost of repairs.
The Wyoming Water Development Commission board voted to accept the water master plan.
Later in the meeting, Rawlins officials sat down with the commission board to request $2.835 million for valve replacement on the city’s water transmission line. Wyoming Water Development Office Director Jason Mead explained that he believes the transmission line can be saved if new valves are installed.
Rawlins City Manager Tom Sarvey explained how water collected from the Sage Creek Springs travels through 30 miles of cement coated steel pipe before reaching the city. Sarvey said the transmission line was not properly maintained in the past and several safety valves were not replaced.
Sarvey said in the spring of 2022, city officials discovered that the water enterprise fund did not contain enough money for the necessary repairs, prompting the city to increase water rates by 60% in November of that year. After seeing the results of the recently completed water master plan, Sarvey said water rates were raised by another 80%.
In total, the city has raised water rates 140% since November of 2022. Sarvey said the increased fees have helped the city build enough cash reserves to start repair projects. The city is asking the Wyoming Water Development Commission for $2.8 million to use as a 50% grant match to replace 95 valves along the transmission line.
Water Development Commissioner Larry Suchor of Pinedale asked about cathodic protection on the transmission line. Steel buried underground or submerged in water will quickly erode unless a sacrificial anode made from zinc or magnesium is attached to the metal. Using a low electrical current, the anode corrodes instead of the steel.
Rawlins City Engineer Karl Smith said he believes that the transmission line is in such poor condition due, in part, to insufficient cathodic protection. The new plan will use a more effective style of corrosion resistance.
Deep anode beds are installed in deeper soil layers with consistent electrical properties, ensuring more reliable and effective protection from corrosion. City Engineer Smith said he expects the deep anode beds will offer 50 more years of cathodic protection to the transmission line.
The Wyoming Water Development Commission voted to grant the city of Rawlins $2.835 million for its transmission line rehabilitation project.
