R.M.I. Construction and the City of Rawlins are completing the final connections from the spring boxes to our new 18-inch spring line. There are several pumps running to keep muddy water caused by the excavation and construction from entering our spring lines. However, since Wednesday morning, these pumps have not been able to keep up with the high flow and turbid water is still entering the spring line. We have temporarily opened the hydrant at Miller Hill to let the turbid water out of the line. If we bring the turbid water to Atlantic Rim, it would be mixed with our well water. If we allow the turbid spring water to mix with our well water, it will plug our filters at the Water Treatment Plant. We anticipate spring flow will be less turbid by Friday evening and are excited to see what results from the new pipe bring by early next week.
The wells are still producing 650 -700 gallons per minute which we are bringing to the plant for treatment and then community use. This helps keep water in our tanks to continue normal indoor water use. However, with the two days of highly turbid spring water, our tanks have not returned to our normal levels of approximately 80-90%. As of Thursday afternoon, the high-pressure tanks are at 56% and the low-pressure tanks are at 38%. With the low tank levels, turf irrigation (lawn watering) is not allowed for the week of August 29th at this point. We anticipate knowing more about the new spring flows with the new 10,000-foot pipeline by mid-week and will adjust the irrigation restrictions appropriately.
For more information on water projects, as well as our water system, please visit www.rawlinswy.gov/water. The latest news updates are always posted at https://www.rawlinswy.gov/385/Water-News. You can also contact Mira Miller, City of Rawlins Community Relations Coordinator, at 307-328-4500 ext. 1022.
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