Bicknell water projects: prairie‑dog survey cleared; new well house/pump work expected by mid‑summer; generator and pump maintenance flagged

Councilors received an update April 3 on town water projects and system maintenance, including completion of a prairie‑dog survey required by state reviewers, a timeline for bringing a well house online, purchase of a new irrigation pump, and a problem with a backup generator that staff said needs a programming or service fix.

Project status and timeline: councilors were told that the town’s contractor has completed the prairie‑dog survey and will finish the related paperwork this coming week. After the paperwork is complete, Jackson’s will pour the cement pad for a container, the pump house will be installed on that pad, electrical service will be connected, and the contractor will complete well‑house work. Staff estimated the system work could be operational in mid‑summer, with a rough target around July 1.

Equipment and costs: Scott, a town public‑works staff member, reported the town ordered a new irrigation pump currently staged in Salt Lake; he said the pump cost about $13,900. Staff said the town’s mountain springs are producing at roughly 43 gallons per minute and the spring output and new pump should provide capacity for foreseeable growth in the near term inside town. Councilors and staff also mentioned an irrigation chlorination pump and other small power costs tied to the waterworks.

Generator and reliability issue: councilors discussed a backup generator at the pump house that starts but does not reliably switch the system to generator power when utility power is lost. Staff and councilors said the unit appears to run but a battery‑charger or programming issue causes a lockout, preventing automatic transfer when the power fails. Councilors asked whether an electrician, a programming service or the vendor (Generac) should be engaged; one staff member estimated an on‑site service call could cost several thousand dollars and suggested a remote troubleshooting session first.

Why it matters: completing the well house and bringing the new pump online affects town water reliability and capacity for growth; the generator problem means the town’s backup power may not protect pumping operations during outages until resolved.

Next steps: staff said they will schedule the pad and well‑house work with Jackson’s, arrange to energize the pump house, collect final startup details from the contractor and vendor, and pursue troubleshooting and repair of the generator and its controls (beginning with a local technician or a remote vendor check before committing to a larger service expense).