Tanked — Chlorination system likely to be installed to address city water issues
As the city continues to navigate and work through a level 2 assessment of the city’s water system because of a series of total coliform positive samples, a chlorination system is looking more and more likely, according to Greg Stumpff, public works supervisor.
“It is looking more and more like we are going to have to chlorinate,” Stumpff told the Newcastle City Council on March 3.
He noted that this is basically because of the condition of the water tanks in the city’s water system. The problem with addressing the root cause of the problem, Stumpff said, is that replacing the tank will take millions of dollars and years of planning.
Meanwhile, the city will likely utilize an onsite chlorination generation system. The cost of this system, he said, is $772,014.
To pay for the system, Stumpff said the city has the opportunity to apply for an emergency mineral royalty grant. The grant would cover 100% of the costs for the system. The problem is that the meeting is on April 3, he said.
In order to meet the March 13 deadline for the April 3 meeting, Stumpff proposed that the City Council approve a resolution requesting the grant for $772,014. The council approved the request.
“At some point, we may be able to turn the system off, but until we get some work done on the tanks, we are out of luck,” Stumpff said.
Stumpff did tell the News Letter Journal that after the last chlorination, tests have come back clean in January, February and March.
How we got here
According to documents from the Environmental Protection Agency, the first level 2 assessment was triggered on Oct. 21, 2024, and conducted on Oct. 28 and 29, 2024. While the first assessment was under review, a second was triggered on Nov. 23, 2024.
The level 2 assessment required corrective actions from the EPA, dated Nov. 27, 2024.
Because the city does not have disinfection equipment installed, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality said that an update to the system would require a permit to construct from the department. The deadline to complete the corrective actions is now July 4, Stumpff said.
Tank problems
Stumpff said that the city has not yet determined the cause of the positive tests, although they have traced its source to Tank No. 1 — the tan tank on U.S. Highway 85 North of town. The actual cause of the issue is yet to be pinpointed, he said.
“We hired a specialized company to completely clean and inspect the tank,” Stumpff said. “The company did not find any definitive source of the TC+ samples.”
He noted that it is suspected that the issue involves the age of the tank, which Stumpff said was purchased in 1934 from Glendo.
“It was disassembled and reassembled in Newcastle and was put into service in 1935. The tank is over 90 years old,” Stumpff said. “Tank No. 1 has had issues for several years.”
Replacement of the tank is part of the city’s capital improvement plan and is slated for 2028. Currently, Stumpff said, the tank replacement is estimated at $9 million.
But Tank No. 1 isn’t the only problem,
he said, noting that the city has encountered TC-positive sample issues for the past six years.
“We have addressed each set of problems as they arise,” Stumpff said. “For example, we frequently have issues with Tank No. 2 (orange tank by the shooting range) in the summer months due to poor design and water age in the tank.”
To address this issue, Stumpff said, the city installed a water tank mixer to keep water moving in the tank but the final solution for that piece of infrastructure, he said, is to complete a tank improvement project, planned for 2026.
City Beats
Notes from the March 3, 2025, meeting of the Newcastle City Council
Council members were presented with a memorandum of understanding from the Newcastle Youth Softball Association for the use of field 2. The council will take the MOU under advisement and consider it at their next meeting.
The council accepted the resignation of Julie Whetsell from the Weston County Travel Commission board and approved advertisement for the position.
The council approved the updated Weston County Travel Commission joint powers board agreement. Bruce Perkins with the travel commission provided an update.
The council further discussed the ordinance referencing dog barking. City Attorney Dublin Hughes said he would do more research on language used by other municipalities and report back to the board.
City Clerk-Treasurer Stacy Haggerty informed the council that new employee insurance rates from WEBT, the company that provides insurance for city employees, for the upcoming fiscal year would increase by 7%. Council members said they would discuss options at the budget workshop.
Greg Stumpff, Public Works supervisor, reported that the leak on Gray Boulevard was a much bigger project than originally anticipated. He said the city ended up replacing 40 feet of pipe and found that the next joint down was cracked.
Stumpff reported that the city had submitted its statement of intent for the U.S. Highway 16 pathways project. He noted this does not commit the city to anything, but it gets the city on the list for 2026.
Police Chief Derek Thompson reported on a roof leak in City Hall. He said this was a concern for him because communications systems for the entire county were housed in the space. He said he is working on getting contractors to come look at the issue.
The council approved a $5,000 marketing plan with the News Letter Journal to advertise for officers for Newcastle Police Department at the request of Thompson. The police committee recommended that the council accept the proposal.
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