City of Rawlins responds to multiple water breaks over Labor Day weekend
It was a busy Labor Day weekend for staff at the City of Rawlins as several water main breaks occurred on the holiday.
According to the City, the six breaks which took place over a three-day period were due to a combination of aging infrastructure and a period of slightly elevated pressure.
“Despite undergoing regular maintenance, a pressure-reducing valve failed,” said Mira Miller, communication relations director with the City of Rawlins in a press release. “Although pressure remained within normal limits, due to our aging infrastructure breaks occurred at weak points.”
Because the breaks occurred nearly simultaneously, said Miller, staff members from several divisions responded to repair the breaks as quickly as possible. The utility division typically makes repairs to water breaks, but were joined by staff from the water treatment and administration division of public works, administration division of community development and the parks division of parks and recreation. Staff remained on-site until the breaks were repaired and water was restored.
On Saturday, a water break occurred on Front Street between 7th and 9th streets. The break at this location was a line split which required up to six feet of water line be replaced. While working on the break, staff found and replaced six feet of sewer line as well. The crew on this break worked from 3 p.m. on Saturday to 6:30 a.m. on Sunday.
Sunday saw a total of five breaks which required crews to work from 8:30 a.m. on Sunday to 1:00 a.m. on Monday. All five breaks occurred between Edinburgh and Murray streets.
A water break on Edinburgh north of Inverness was repaired with a total of three permanent repair clamps to close off a total of three holes which appeared due to the water pressure. Meanwhile, a water break on Murray near Sigma was repaired with two permanent repair clamps. Another water break between Bomgaars and Econolodge was a lateral pipe break which was around 10 feet long with crews replacing a total of 35 feet of line.
Between Inverness and Dundee, another line was repaired with a permanent repair clamp. A water break on Harshman north of Murray saw a 12 inch line with an eight foot lateral break, which resulted in 10 feet of pipe being replaced.
On Monday, crews worked from 9 a.m. on Monday to 3 a.m on Tuesday to finish up work on the breaks at Inverness, Murray and Bombaars. Then, on Tuesday, the second water break on Harshman north of Murray was repaired by early afternoon with crews working on backfilling.
According to Miller, the process of responding to a water break required the following steps:
Depending on the size and type of break, said Miller, it takes an average of three to five City of Rawlins staff anywhere from eight to 20 hours to locate and repair the break.
In 2022 and 2024, water rates were increased by the City of Rawlins to help fund infrastructure, equipment and staff “necessary for a functioning water system.”
“These increases have allowed the City to budget more fund than in the past for repairing both out-of-town and in-town water infrastructure,” said Miller. “The City is also exploring funding options for infrastructure repairs, including significant grants and loans from multiple sources. However, with needs amounting to $60 million in water repairs, we cannot make them overnight.”
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