Alternative water sources presented

Tuesday evening at the Hot Springs County Government Annex, a draft report prepared by DOWL was presented in regard to alternative sources for water in the county. Many of those in attendance were members of the recently formed Hot Springs County Rural Water District Joint Powers Board.

Jeffrey Rosenlund with DOWL explained a study was done to develop an additional source water supply in the county and evaluate options to supply the districts around Thermopolis. There had been previous studies, he noted, and they wanted to capitalize on that information.

Looking specifically at population growth, Rosenlund noted there hasn’t been much in town but population is going up in outlying districts, which could have an impact on how much water needs to be pumped from alternate sites to supply people with water.

Ben Jordan with Western Engineering spoke to the well sighting study. When looking at a regional system like the one in this part of the county, he said, they should look at which aquifer would be most suitable for what you need. However, if demand is high and people want good quality it starts to narrow down options. In this area, the Madison limestone formation is the one choice. Using that option, he further added, a well has to be dug in a location where rocks are fractured to get the volumes needed.

Early on in the project, Jordan said, the demands were looked at. For just rural systems, the peak day demand is around 300 gallons per minute. If Thermopolis were on the system, it could be up to 2,500 gallons per minute by the year 2050.

Through various studies since the early 2000’s, nine or 10 different well sites were identified in southern Hot Springs County. That list was narrowed in the draft report to Yankee Dome North, the Lysite Mountain Anticline and the Buffalo Creek Monocline.

Regarding Buffalo Creek, Jordan noted it’s a proven resource that pumped at over 800 gallons per minute for long periods in the mid-2000s and it has close proximity to potential points of use compared to other well sites. Aquifer monitoring also suggests low interference with other systems. Again, Jordan said, the big question is what the demand on the system will be.

Yankee Dome, to the west of town and close to the Owl Creek Water District, is a good site but the downside is the water quality was untested and the well site is a significant distance from where water enters the aquifer, which could mean elevated sulfate concentrations.

The third option, Lysite Mountain, is a significant distance from the area – 25 miles – though Jordan noted the rocks have been opened in such a way to allow for significant water volumes, perhaps enough for a regional system here. The remote location also means low interference with other water users.

Rosenlund pointed out, with regard to Lysite Mountain well field, water not only has to be brought into the system in Lucerne, but from Lucerne into Thermopolis, to allow for gravity flow. If the demand were low enough, he noted, there are some things that could be done with piping to get it to Owl Creek, but to have adequate pressure in Thermopolis, piping between the town and Lucerne would be needed.

Looking at the Buffalo Creek alternatives, Rosenlund presented rough costs. From the first segment – from the well to Yellowstone Road – it would be about $4.4 million. He noted that would get Owl Creek and South Thermopolis going with water, and the cost includes a pump station. As demand increases and additional segments were added, of course costs would go up as well.

Looking at a cost per tap, the first phase of a Buffalo Creek well source would be $46.54. This phase would supply water to South Thermopolis and Owl Creek. The second phase, which would tack on another $5 million to the project, would supply East Thermopolis as well and bring the cost per tap to $54.71. A third phase, also incorporating Thermopolis, would mean a cost increase to more than $11 million and a per tap cost of $14.29

The first phase of the Lysite Mountain well would supply South Thermopolis, Owl Creek and Black Mountain, with capital costs of more than $30 million and a per tap cost of $242.90. The next phase would supply East Thermopolis as well, with about $800,000 in costs added and a per tap cost of $164.98. The third phase would bring in Thermopolis, again with an increase of $800,000, but a per tap cost of $38.20.

The fourth Lysite phase would supply Lucerne as well, with little increase to costs and a per tap cost of $37.84. Phase 5 would bring on Big Horn Regional (BHR) than Lucerne and Thermopolis, with about $5 million increase to costs and a per tap cost $176.75. Phase 6 would supply South Thermopolis, Owl Creek, East Thermopolis, Thermopolis and BHR with total capital costs of more than $38 million and a per tap cost of $43.92.

The next step for the Hot Springs County Rural Water District Joint Powers Board is to apply for Level III funding, with the application being due in just over a month on Sept. 1. It was noted during the presentation that, with the draft report completed, this project now falls to the board. One of the big items to address is who will sponsor the project, whether it is the board, the Town of Thermopolis, Big Horn Regional or any combination of sponsors. It was noted that the ball is in the joint powers board’s court, and the number of sponsors will be important for seeking financing for the project and getting it moved forward.