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Officials note nearby wildfire risk and low reservoir levels; council asks staff to explore emergency generator for irrigation pumps
Summary
During the July 31 Bicknell work meeting council members and residents raised concerns about a nearby wildfire that approached the reservoir, and discussed low water levels at local reservoirs and options to secure irrigation water, including investigating a generator large enough to run a 40‑horsepower irrigation motor.
Residents and council members raised two related public‑safety and infrastructure topics at the July 31 meeting: an active wildfire near the town reservoir and concerns about low reservoir/irrigation levels that are affecting local pivots and boat ramps.
A resident reported driving by the fire line near the reservoir and said structures were at risk. "I just drove through and ... it's getting real close to the road. There's some structures at risk, I'm afraid, this evening," a resident told the council.
Separately, council members discussed low water levels at local reservoirs and the idea of having a backup generator available to power irrigation pivots during outages. One council member said he did not know the exact cost but noted the motor size: "I don't really know what that would cost off the top of my head. It's a 40 horse motor. So it would take but it's not a good base. It would take a fairly good generator," he said.
Council direction and technical follow‑up
Council members asked staff to determine the generator and electrical specifications needed to run pivot irrigation equipment and to have public works (Chad or designated staff) assess amperage and starting/wattage requirements. One resident offered a personal generator as a possible donation, but council members cautioned that a large starting load would likely require a larger commercial generator.
Council members also discussed operational constraints: one irrigation system that runs on diesel could not operate because its satellite control system was down, and several speakers said pivots and reservoirs were running low enough to restrict recreational boat ramp access.
Ending
The council asked staff to return with technical specifications and cost estimates for a generator capable of starting and running a 40‑horsepower irrigation motor, and to monitor the nearby wildfire and any infrastructure impacts to town water or firefighting capability.
