Lamar Raw Water Transmission Line Completed

Gerry Jenkins, Lamar Mayor Roger Stagner, Kirk Crespin and Ron Cook at the Ribbon Line

“What we’ve done with this project is basically replace what had become a six mile long soaker hose,” said Lamar Mayor Roger Stagner this past Friday at a ribbon cutting ceremony held to observe one of the final improvements to the city’s water infrastructure system.

Gary Bergland of Honeywell Systems

Gary Berngard, the Honeywell Program Manager who has overseen several Lamar City infrastructure improvements over the past few years, explained to the gathering that the 80 year old transmission line had been a deficit to Lamar’s water supply operation.  “It was located only five feet below the surface, running from the well fields to the storage area and had developed so many leaks, the water was evaporating away from the system and not being replaced,” he stated.  Berngard said the level of corrosion to the inside of the line had constricted water flow to only about 65% of normal and it was costing additional electricity to move the water needed to meet Lamar’s demands.  “You’ll notice the quality of the water has also improved as all the flaking and sediment from past years has been eliminated,” Berngard stated.

City Administrator, John Sutherland, said that in addition to those benefits, the city will also save on time and man power as the new water delivery system has been greatly improved.  “The new efficiency is going to be noticed.  In the past when we wanted to turn on a well, a city employee had to get a truck, drive out to the well, turn on the pump, make sure it was running and then come back in.  We had to go through the reverse process when we wanted to turn off a well,” he explained.  Sutherland said that the improvements also allows the water department to turn on and off all the wells with corresponding switches without leaving the office and the new computer system provides a read-out of each well’s performance.  “We also are noticing an improvement in water quality,” Sutherland stated, adding, “We can blend our high quality wells with those which are still good, but of lesser quality, and that also allows the better wells an opportunity to recharge.”

City Water Tanks

The project was financed through a combination of a $985,000 energy impact grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and a $200,000 grant from the Colorado Water Conservation Board’s Water Supply Reserve Account.  Honeywell guaranteed the annual savings which would be generated by the new water delivery system.

Lee Merkel, the regional manager for DOLA in southeastern Colorado and Derek Johnson, project manager for the Colorado Water Conservation Board was on hand for the Friday event.

By Russ Baldwin