City of Laramie, Wyoming

UTILITY DIVISION
Water
Biosolids Program | Water Fees

Water & Wastewater Administration

The City of Laramie Utility Division has been providing quality drinking water and treating wastewater for the greater part of the 20th century.

The enactment of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) 1972 and Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) in 1976 established uniform criteria for utility systems. Subsequent revisions in 1986 and 1996 to the SDWA required major changes to drinking water facilities and processes. Tightening regulation under the CWA resulted in the construction of a new wastewater treatment facility that went into operation in January 1998.

Division administration is directed by the Utility Manager with the support of a full time secretary. Administration sets the strategic plan for the three support operations and tracks progress. In addition, administration prepares the long range needs assessments that are the basis for City Council directed capital programs.

Operations ~ Distribution & Collection

Water Distribution

Maintenance of the water transmission and distribution system includes emergency repairs, fire hydrant maintenance and repair, valve maintenance and repair, etc. over the many miles of distribution lines, some dating back to the late 1800's. Each service line has a meter for water usage registration. Meters are read and billed monthly since the completion of the meter replacement program. Water meter installation, testing, and maintenance are part of the water distribution system operation as is the installation, testing and repair of backflow devices. Personnel are required to be state certified to operate the transmission and distribution system and must take regular coursework to maintain certification.

Mainline distribution repairs amount to one seventh of the annual operation/maintenance budget because mainline failures on our system exceed 3 times the national and regional average. This excessive failure rate results from corrosive soils and an aging system. The City has a replacement program that budgets $300,000.00 per year.

Wastewater Collection

Maintenance of the wastewater collection system includes emergency repairs, system washing, root cutting, TV inspection, and manhole repairs. There are approximately 140 miles of sewer main lines in the collection system. Personnel are required to be state certified to operate the collection system and must take regular coursework to maintain certification.

Many harmful materials such as grease, petroleum products, anti-freeze, plastic bags, etc find a way into the collection system . These items often will block sewer flows causing the flow to back into residences. It is the responsibility of all users to protect the system from abuse. Residents should read this important information about sewer backups.

Water Treatment

City of Laramie drinking water is supplied from several sources, providing up to 14.5 million gallons per day. Typical summertime demand is 11 million gallons per day, while wintertime demand averages 4.5 million gallons per day. The sources of water for the City of Laramie are:

The Laramie River is the largest single source of water. This water is treated through multiple processes in the modern water treatment plant.

Monolith Ranch is where Laramie's future water is located. There are several sources of water on the Monolith Ranch. The main source is the Dowlin water rights. These are the first priority on the Big Laramie River and are equal to 12.9 million gallons per day.

Currently, about 4.5 million gallons of wastewater per day is pumped through the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The first treatment is removal of heavier materials at the grit station. Next the water flows to oxidation ditches where microorganisms in the water are flooded with air, enabling them to grow and begin the process of digesting organic pollutants and ammonia. Microorganisms and solids are separated from water in the clarifiers. The water is disinfected by ultraviolet light and discharged to the Laramie River. A percentage of the microoganisms and solids are recycled to the oxidation ditches. This is called return activated sludge. The rest of the microorganisms and solids are pumped to digesters. This is called waste activated sludge. The digesters provide more aeration and time for microorganisms to work on the solids. Water is decanted off the top of the digesters and returned to the beginning of the process. The solids are pumped to belt pressers and then placed on drying beds. Several times per year the dried solids (now called biosolids) are taken to the Monolith Ranch for land application.

All of the operators are state-certified Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators and continue to attend classes relevant to plant operation. In 2001 the plant received an "Operations and Maintenance Excellence" award from EPA, and in 2002 Karla Adami received an award from the Wyoming Water Quality and Pollution Control Association.

Additional services provided by plant operators include treatment and disposal of septic tank wastes, garage sump wastes and restaurant grease.