Fom the Town of Pagosa Springs:
The Town of Pagosa Springs Sanitation General Improvement District (GID) is now in stable but cautious condition due to the late Monday afternoon failure of one of the pumps at Pump Station #2 (PS #2). This is on top of the failure of the first pump in April due to a lightning strike at the same location.
The GID, in general terms, serves businesses and residents in the Town and surrounding properties east of Piedra Road.
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Over the past two nights, Town staff have been onsite at the station to manually override the system to ensure continuity of pumping operations, but only at 50 to 60 percent of its normal capacity.
On Tuesday, staff and contractors were working to “transplant” one of the two wet pumps from PS #1 to PS #2. As of 2:15am Wednesday, the transplant was successful, but the system currently does not have redundancy until replacement pumps arrive, hopefully next week.
We thank you for your conservation efforts, which helped prevent an overflow. You may now resume basic home and business water use, but please limit large projects that may strain the system.
The transplant process involved securing a crane large enough to lift and lower the wet pumps into the bottom of the wet well. Staff is in the process of acquiring a crane and a bypass pump for future needs. Additionally, after the first wet pump failed in April, the GID placed a rush order for two new pumps — one to replace the failed pump and another to have as a spare. As of Tuesday, the pump supplier has ramped up its production schedule due to PS #2’s condition.
PS #2 conveys sewer effluent from PS #1 at the south end of Yamaguchi Park to the Pagosa Area Water and Sanitary District (PAWSD) Vista Wastewater Treatment Plant, approximately 7.5 miles away, and with an approximate 500-foot elevation change.
Community Conversations about the Wastewater System
Monday’s event underscores the fragile nature of the GID conveyance system and the need for repairs and upgrades to the system. This past week, three “Saving our Sewers” community meetings were held at the Ross Aragon Community Center. We encourage our community to learn about the challenges we face regarding our collection system, conveyance system, future treatment options, and potential future funding options.
Additional meetings are scheduled for July 14, 15, and 16.
The GID is a special district created by the Town in 1971 to oversee the day-to-day operations and maintenance of the Town’s sanitary sewer infrastructure. An overview of the challenges and potential funding options the Town is considering to update the system may be found at www.pagosasprings.co.gov/sos.