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Fish Creek water treatment plant back in action after 3-month project

The water is flowing freely again after completion of the latest round of improvements to the Fish Creek Treatment Plant, which returned to service in mid-December.

Additionally, the Yampa Wells water facility is on track to complete enhancements Jan. 31 and return to full operation before the start of the summer irrigation season.

“I want to thank residents for their efforts to reduce water use during the shutdown and the installation of these critical improvements,” Mount Werner Water General Manager Frank Alfone said in a city news release. “These enhancements further protect the plant and the community’s water during a wildfire in the Fish Creek drainage or another major catastrophic event at the plant.”



The Fish Creek Treatment Plant was shut down for three months — Sept. 16-Dec. 16 — as part of Phase 2B of the water-improvement effort. The project consisted of implementing new chemical feed systems and water quality monitoring equipment at both locations to comply with Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment’s approved optimal corrosion control treatment (OCCT).

The OCCT for Fish Creek includes addition of hydrated lime and carbon dioxide (CO2) to increase alkalinity and dissolved inorganic carbon, as well as orthophosphate (phosphoric acid) as a corrosion inhibitor. The OCCT for the Yampa Wells includes caustic soda addition for pH adjustment and phosphoric acid as a corrosion inhibitor.



In addition, large equipment was added to the Fish Creek Treatment Plant with installation of a new standby generator capable of powering all current and future system loads. The existing old generator was removed at the same time. A new CO2 tank and lime silo storage container rounded out the hardware additions.

The Yampa Wells were called upon for a second time within the same year to act as the sole water source for potable water needs for the city and district during the Fish Creek project. The Yampa Wells performed efficiently and further bolstered confidence in utilizing them for an extended period of time during an emergency situation, according to the city.

“The community’s efforts to conserve water during Phase 2B this past year made for a smoother project,” said Michelle Carr, the city’s distribution and collection manager. “As we all know, water is an extremely valuable commodity in our area and doing everything we can each day to conserve it will serve us well into the future whether there is a shutdown or not.”


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