September 2024 water breaks

Image of line removed at the break on Harshman

During Labor Day weekend, Rawlins faced a challenge when six water breaks occurred due to the city's aging infrastructure and a slightly elevated pressure event. Despite undergoing regular maintenance, a pressure-reducing valve failed. Although pressure remained within normal limits, due to our aging infrastructure, breaks occurred at weak points.

What Happened and Where?

Here’s an overview of the breaks and the work done to address them throughout the weekend:

Saturday:  

• Front Street (7th to 9th Streets): A six-foot water line split was repaired, along with six feet of sewer line. Crews worked from 3 PM Saturday to 6:30 AM Sunday to complete this repair.

  
  

Sunday:  

Crews worked from 8:30 AM Sunday until 1 AM Monday, repairing five breaks in total:

• Edinburgh (North of Inverness): Three holes in the line were repaired with permanent clamps.

• Murray (Near Sigma): Two holes were repaired with clamps after water restoration caused further issues.

• Between Bomgaars and Econolodge: A ten-foot lateral break required 35 feet of pipe replacement.

• Inverness (Near Dundee): A hole in the line was fixed with a permanent repair clamp.

• Harshman (North of Murray): A significant 12-inch line with an 8-foot lateral break required the replacement of 10 feet of pipe.

Monday & Tuesday:  

Work continued across several sites, completing repairs on Edinburgh, Inverness, Murray, and Harshman. Crews worked late into the night each day, restoring water to affected areas while simultaneously backfilling the excavation sites.

Here’s how repairs are handled

A single water break repair involves multiple detailed steps and a coordinated effort, including:

1. Locating Utilities: Ensuring there are no conflicts with gas or electric lines by obtaining 811 locates from other utilities such as gas and electric

2. Identify: Identify the specific break location and type.

3. Excavating the site: Safely exposing the break.

4. Repairing the break: Determining the extent of damage and replacing or clamping the pipe.

5. Restoring water service: Testing for functionality and monitoring for additional leaks.

6. Backfilling: Finally, the site is covered for stability.

   
   

This process typically involves 3–5 crew members working 8–20 hours per break, depending on the severity.

Securing dependable access to drinking water

In 2022 and 2024, water rates were increased to help fund infrastructure, equipment, and the staff necessary for a functioning water system. You can find extensive information on these water rate increases and the full financial studies that led to them at www.rawlinswy.gov/feestudy These increases have allowed the City to budget more funds than in the past for repairing both out-of-town and in-town water infrastructure. 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.

How you can help

The resilience of our water system also depends on the strength of our team. Currently, only four of nine Utility Division positions are filled, meaning every new hire impacts our ability to respond to issues efficiently. If you’re looking for meaningful work with competitive pay—starting at $18.41/hour—and excellent benefits, consider joining our dedicated team.

Learn more and apply at www.rawlinswy.gov/jobs.

How to contact us and stay informed

Lastly, all staff members who typically post updates on water breaks could not post due to travel. The City will train more backup staff to keep the essential updates posted on our website and Facebook. These are typically posted between 7 am and 8 pm and contain the location of the break and area affected, followed by an update when the repair is completed. The City occasionally also posts information about break type or repair progress, but this is not usually feasible as the crews focus on making the repairs and do not send updates at each step.

• Sign up for general updates: If you’d like to stay informed about water-related updates, sign up for email or text notifications at www.rawlinswy.gov/notifyme.

• Confirming location of water breaks: Residents can call the Finance Utilities Clerk at 307-324-4501 or Public Works at 307-328-4599 during regular work hours to confirm the location of water breaks. After hours, residents can call the RPD Dispatch line at 307-328-4530.

Gratitude for our community and work crews

Thank you to all the City staff who worked to restore water to residents. Many worked for over three days straight, only took breaks as required, and often worked until 1 am or later and returned first thing in the morning. Thank you also to the affected residents for their patience, especially those who stopped by to thank and support the crews in their long hours of work.

The City of Rawlins is committed to overcoming challenges, working hand-in-hand with our community to create a more secure future.