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Rangely officials warn of low river flows and prepare for poor water quality after upstream fires
Summary
Public works reported an all-time low White River flow in early August, recent increases after rain, and expected high turbidity from fire runoff; the town plans jar testing, contingency pumping shutdowns and is pursuing an emergency grant for a tribometer tied to SCADA for real-time turbidity alerts.
The Rangely Town Council heard a technical update from the town’s water department about low river flows and expected water-quality complications following recent wildfires upstream.
“Flow in the White River is at an all-time low,” Michael, the town’s water department representative, told the council, saying the lowest flow seen in recent weeks was about 45 cubic feet per second on Aug. 9 and that flows had risen to roughly 180 CFS after recent precipitation. He said the rain is likely to bring low-quality, sediment-laden runoff from burned areas and that the utility expects higher turbidity that will complicate treatment.
Michael said the town is coordinating with the U.S. Geological Survey, which maintains upstream monitoring sites. “They have multiple points up river to detect water quality issues like turbidity,” he said, and the USGS has been providing advance notice when spikes occur so the town can respond. The council heard that, when a short-duration slug of poor-quality water passes, staff can shut off pumps and wait the slug out to avoid sending very turbid water into treatment ponds.
To improve early detection, staff described applying for an emergency mitigation grant to purchase a tribometer that would feed turbidity readings directly into the town’s SCADA system. That real-time link would automatically shut pumps if readings exceed set thresholds, reducing the risk of having to treat severely degraded water. Michael said the tribometer would be installed in the river intake wet well to sample the water before pumping.
Council members asked about duration of stored water if the pumps are turned off. Michael said the town’s low zone could be supplied for about three days without additional pumping under summer demand; other zones could last longer, giving the utility time to ride out temporary events. He also said staff plan to do frequent jar testing to optimize chemical dosing and to monitor reservoir conditions closely.
The update positioned the town to pursue grant-funded monitoring and to continue coordination with state and federal partners. No formal vote was required; councilmembers thanked staff for the report and asked that the town return with any grant outcomes and deployment plans.
