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Rangely manager warns of torn lagoon liner and potential multimillion-dollar repair
Summary
Town Manager Jonah told the council that one lagoon liner shows major tears, the town is exploring temporary routing and engineering reassessments, and replacement costs could be in the millions if multiple liners must be replaced.
Town Manager Jonah told the Rangely Town Council the town’s water levels improved after recent rain, but ongoing problems with wastewater pond liners require attention and could be costly. "It may end up coming to a solution where if we have to replace all 4, it would be somewhere in the range of $12,000,000," Jonah said, describing the scale of potential replacement work and the need for multiple quotes and better engineering analysis.
Council members pressed Jonah on how the town knows which liners are leaking and whether the state will change policy for lagoon systems. Jonah said one liner has "major issues" and is torn; he described options the town is exploring, including temporarily shutting off Pond C and routing flow through other ponds as a short-term measure. He warned the council the state is discussing limiting lagoon systems and said the town should not expect state funding if lagoons are disallowed. Councilmembers asked Jonah to bring engineering staff (Emily) to the next meeting for a more substantive report on service life, repair options and costs.
The discussion focused on next steps rather than a decision: staff will seek clearer engineering findings, solicit replacement quotes, and evaluate temporary routing options while monitoring state guidance. Jonah said the town is maintaining stage 1 water restrictions and is preparing for possible regulatory change.
Provenance: topicintro=SEG 070, topfinish=SEG 179
