Sheridan County commissioners agree to send letter supporting water intake study; deadline March 1

Commissioner Siddle asked commissioners Feb. 24 to provide a letter of support for a water study examining the feasibility of adding an intake and an untreated-water line to the county's water treatment system so that treated water would not be used for irrigation. Commissioners agreed to send the letter before the March 1 deadline.

Siddle described a meeting that included the city, School District 2, the hospital, the state and the county and said the proposed study would analyze whether a new intake or a different piping arrangement could reduce use of treated water for irrigation. "Is there anybody who's opposed to doing that?" Siddle asked; the meeting record shows no opposition and commissioners agreed the letter could be sent and later placed on the consent agenda.

The study is tied to a grant application to the Wyoming Water Development Commission; Carrie Rojachevsky is the consultant who would perform the study, according to the discussion. Siddle said the study would consider uses now served with treated water — including watering parks, school fields and some Fairgrounds areas — and whether nonpotable water could be substituted for those uses.

County staff asked counsel to review a draft boilerplate letter; Commissioner Siddle said Clint (county legal counsel) would finalize and circulate the letter so it could be transmitted by the end of the week.