City reviews water system work

The Sundance City Council heard a recap of projects that have been implemented to improve the water system on Tuesday, as well as a potential roadmap for projects to come. Karla Greaser of Trihydro, city engineers, used the level one master study completed in conjunction with Wyoming Water Development (WWD) in 2013 as an anchor for her presentation.

Sundance has participated in all three levels of the WWD project process, Greaser said. As is typical, this started with a fully funded level one study that takes an all-inclusive look at the system.

The level one study starts with an inventory of the system and then an investigation to understand both the system and its deficiencies. Solutions and projects are recommended and prioritized, along with possible funding options.

This study has been used ever since, Greaser said, and is updated when projects are completed so that it provides an ongoing source of information when looking at new projects and how they will affect the system. The study includes information on such things as water rights, water quality, well function, operations and maintenance and also evaluated the SCADA monitoring system, which has since been implemented and allows the public works department to see what’s happening within the system in real time.

The projects that were recommended in that study included the Cole Main Water Transmission Line.

“That was your number one priority project and that has been constructed,” Greaser said.

Upgrades to certain pump stations were also high on the priority list, she said, and are under construction as part of the project to replace a water tank in Sundance West.

Improvements to the east pressure zone were completed by making a connection through the 21st Street waterline loop project, she continued, adding a new portion of waterline to connect Hwy 585 with Industrial Ave. This eliminated a pressure zone and improved service.

The new transmission line also solved problems in the north zone backbone, eliminating that recommended project in the process, she said.

“You have largely addressed your top five projects, which is great,” she added.

Projects still to be considered include the south pressure zone, which needs a transmission main line from the storage tank on the south side of I-90 up into the residential area. A transmission main in the Sundance West subdivision has also not moved forward yet, she said.

Some of the higher priority projects progressed to a level two study, which is also fully funded and was completed in 2015. This reevaluated the recommendations, then focused on the Cole transmission line, canyon area pump station and Cole well field.

Another project that has not been recently discussed is the north zone transmission line, which came out of that level two study, said Greaser, and would provide a transmission main to follow the same alignment as the suggested new line in the south pressure zone and connect to Cleveland to give better access to storage.

“This might be a project that could or should be combined with some piping upgrades under the interstate,” she added.

There are two additional projects that bear paying attention to, said Greaser. The first is the Cole Well Field Transmission Main, which was build in the 1960s all the way from the Cole tank into town.

The line is the only connection to the well field and is aging, she said, so it’s worth thinking about putting a parallel line along the route.

Secondly, Greaser suggested thinking about a project to tie some of the existing service lines in and off Cleveland St. to the alleys south of the road. This would not qualify for WWD funding.

Mayor Paul Brooks, pointing out that funding is not available for water distribution, only storage and transmission, asked it the levels one through three studies are actually proving to save money, as is the intention. Greaser said that the information gathered has proven valuable; for example, data on future demand included in the level one study has been used, eliminating the need to re-gather it.

From a WWD standpoint, she said, taking a comprehensive look at things identifies priorities and options to ensure the best use of construction dollars. Brooks himself also recalled that the city would not have extended the new Cole transmission line down Cleveland St. to the lower pump station had it not been identified in the study.

Mayor Brooks commented that there may be some supplemental funding from the state in the near future, if oil and coal improve, and such funding makes a great match for this kind of project. He suggested the council should keep an eye on potential projects for next year’s budget.