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Water staff warns of low White River flows, proposes turbidity monitoring linked to SCADA
Summary
Town water staff reported historic low White River flows (as low as 45 CFS) and a recent rise to about 180 CFS tied to runoff after nearby fires; staff proposed applying for an emergency grant to install a turbidity meter connected to SCADA that would allow automatic pump shutdowns to avoid treating poor-quality water.
Rangely’s water supervisor updated the council on river flow and water-quality risks, saying the White River hit a low of about 45 cubic feet per second on Aug. 9 before rising to roughly 180 CFS after recent precipitation. He warned that runoff from fires upstream is likely to bring high-sediment, low-quality water and described steps the town is taking to detect and manage turbidity.
"The lowest we saw in the last 4 weeks or so was 45 CFS, and that was on August 9," the water supervisor said. He described coordination with USGS to get upstream turbidity alerts and said the town could use a turbidimeter tied to its SCADA system so pumps can shut off automatically when poor-quality water arrives. He proposed applying for a natural-disaster mitigation grant to buy the instrument and other monitoring equipment.
Council and staff discussed operational responses should a slug of poor-quality water arrive — including temporarily stopping pumps and performing jar testing to optimize chemical dosing at the plant. The water supervisor estimated the town could operate on stored water for several days if pumps are shut off (about three days under high-consumption summer conditions; longer under lower-demand periods).
No formal funding action for the turbidimeter was taken at the meeting; staff listed the grant as a likely candidate and will pursue application deadlines and potential equipment additions.
