Carlile water study nears completion

The county’s study to find a solution for water quality issues in the Carlile area is reaching the final stages, the county commissioners heard last week. Stakeholders can expect to hear information about the potential for a regional water system at a public meeting in October.

Through water sampling and analysis, the study has revealed water quality issues with the current permitted wells in operation and the next step will be to identify possible solutions, such as to create a water district that hooks onto the City of Gillette’s Madison Water System, or to dig a new well down to the same Madison formation.

“We are about a year through the project, so about two thirds of the way through,” said senior project manager Jaime Tarver from Sheridan company DOWL, which was contracted to perform the study under the direct supervision of Wyoming Water Development Commission (WWDC).

The study was funded at approximately $370,000, said Kevin Boyce, WWDC. The lion’s share of this, he said, has gone to sampling wells in the area.

Many of the wells sampled were also part of the Department of Environmental Quality’s focus in 2017 and 2018, when a number of wells in the area suddenly ran dry or acidic. This means there are now samples from the same wells over three years, Boyce said.

“We’re going to be excited in the final report to show you hopefully some trends in the water quality, what the general water quality is and what the area can look forward to,” he said.

According to Tarver, 195 permitted wells and springs were tested within the study area, 70% of which include domestic use.

The City of Gillette’s water wells tap into the Madison Formation at depths around 2750 feet. Said Ben Jordan of Weston Engineering, property owners will typically develop a well to the lowest depth possible to where they can get usable water, which means very few of them are drilling all the way down to the Madison because this is an expensive investment.

Consequently, he said, 47 of those individual wells come from the top formations (Fall River and Lakota); the next level down, the Morrison Formation, has 24 wells in depths up to 850 feet. The water yields from these are quite variable, he said.

Of the wells tested, results so far have shown relatively poor groundwater quality. Jordan reported that 88 of the 91 wells included in the quality study had levels of total dissolved solids higher than the DEQ’s standards.

Of the 91 wells, 13 were too high on pH level and 16 were too low on pH level; 33 were too high in iron; 31 were too high in manganese; 84 were too high on sulfates; and 55 were too high on sodium. This gives a picture, said Tarver, of the magnitude of the water quality issues in the area.

“The DEQ Water Quality Division established these standards for domestic use, drinking water use and also agricultural use,” Jordan said, later adding, “Typical water standards were met, it’s just that the water is not very palatable at all.”

Based on the water quality analysis, it would appear that there are no other good formations underneath the testing area to base a new water system on. The study has so far revealed two potential options for a regional water system around Carlile.

The first – and most obvious – solution is for the area to be added to the existing City of Gillette system. The second would be another Madison well, with three potential new well locations identified that maximize the potential for getting large quantities of water.

“If you’re going to spend that kind of money, you want to make sure all the odds are in your favor,” said Jordon.

Preliminary cost estimates to drill and test such a well will be included in the draft report, which is due in September. It will also include recommendations, cost estimates and financing options.

These, said Tarver, will be likely based around the creation of a simple water district because this, as opposed to something more complicated like a joint powers board, has worked well in many other places across the state.

Tarver stressed that it is extremely important to make sure that the residents within the study area, who will ultimately be the ones making use of a regional water system, are given all the pertinent data from the study.

“We want to show them the facts and the information and the costs so they can make an informed decision,” she said.

For this reason, a stakeholder meeting has been scheduled for October and is expected to take place at the Moorcroft Town Center. Tarver explained that DOWL would like to take a multi-platform approach due to the pandemic and ensure that those who do not wish to attend in person can still attend online; she also hopes to record it so it can be accessed later by anyone unable to make the meeting time.