Water supervisor warns of low flows, poor-quality inflows after nearby fires

Michael, Rangely's water supervisor, told the council the White River reached a low of about 45 cubic feet per second (CFS) on Aug. 9 and had recently climbed to roughly 180 CFS after precipitation. He warned that runoff from recent fires above Maker will bring low-quality, high-sediment water into the intake and could create treatment challenges.

"The flow in the White River is at an all time low," Michael said, describing recent CFS readings and the town's response. He said USGS has installed upstream detection points and will alert town staff when turbidity spikes so the town can avoid pumping poor-quality water to its ponds. Michael described operational options including shutting off pumps briefly to let a low-quality "slug" pass and performing increased jar testing to adjust chemical dosing.

Staff also discussed applying for an emergency natural-disaster mitigation grant to purchase a turbidity meter networked to the town's SCADA system. Michael said the turbidimeter would be placed in the wet well at the river intake to enable automatic pump shutoff when turbidity is high. He said if a slug of poor water arrives and it lasts only a few hours, the plant could likely wait it out by stopping pumps and resuming later.

Council members asked how long the town could sustain supply if pumps were shut off; Michael estimated about three days under high-use summertime conditions and up to 10 days under normal winter low-consumption conditions, with an intermediate estimate of roughly five to six days for middle zones.

The council asked staff to pursue grant options and to coordinate with USGS and reservoir contacts to get real-time alerts about turbidity spikes.