Dayton, Sheridan protecting water infrastructure as fire rages

SHERIDAN — As the Elk Fire rages on, firefighters and municipal staff have taken steps to protect the town of Dayton and the city of Sheridan’s drinking water facilities.

Much of the fire and smoke activity Thursday stemmed from firefighters’ efforts to lessen the overall impact on the watershed with firing operations.

Firefighters cut a firebreak — removing vegetation to prevent fire spread — to protect Dayton’s water treatment plant.

Dayton Mayor Clifford Reed said the town switched to its water well amid some community concern about water quality from its treatment plant.

“So, we don’t have to worry about any sediment or anything like that,” Reed said.

Reed added Dayton’s water treatment plant is well equipped to handle any ash or additional sediment during the spring runoff next year. Should there be too many particles in the water during runoff, Reed said, the town would serve residents with its well again.

Reed also said the town does not presently have concerns about protecting its wastewater treatment plant, in part because it is surrounded by gravel.

“Inside that fence, there’s really nothing to burn. The buildings are metal-sided and concrete structures,” Reed said.

Sheridan’s water intake facility in Big Goose Canyon, which also serves Sheridan Area Water Supply customers, is constructed similarly, city Assistant Utilities Director Jacob Martineau said. He said the buildings at the intake facility are constructed with concrete and iron.

When the fire made its initial run last week, Martineau said city of Sheridan staff met with firefighters to create a plan to remove trees, branches and shrubs that could have posed a threat to buildings.

“Within a few hours that day, we had removed all those flammables, (and) we put water cannons out,” Martineau said. “So, all of our critical infrastructure has had these big water cannon sprinklers saturating the area.”

The city of Sheridan announced Friday that firefighters have sparingly used fire retardant in the Big Goose Creek watershed. Future use of fire retardant won’t occur within 300 feet of any moving water and doing so will help prevent any water supply contamination.

The city has also collected base samples of its water and is working alongside the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to assess any changes in the water quality.

About a mile east of the water intake facility is the city’s Big Goose water treatment plant, which serves a majority of SAWS customers. Martineau said those buildings could burn down, with their cedar wood siding. Much like the intake facility, there are water cannons on the premises, and the city has removed any trees or shrubs that could have put the buildings at risk.

The city is now beginning to plan for the spring runoff, which could bring higher levels of sediment into the water. While treating water with more sediment can be difficult, Martineau said the city’s water treatment plants are well-equipped to do so by implementing different treatment methods.

Ranchester Mayor Peter Clark said the town doesn’t have many concerns about its water infrastructure due to the Elk Fire because its facilities are within town limits

This story was published on October 12, 2024.