The Wyoming
Connection
Spring 2016
2
A
T
Spring 2016– Issue 101
The Wyoming Connection is the official publication of
The Wyoming Association of Rural Water Systems. It is
published quarterly for distribution to member systems,
water and wastewater Operations Specialists, water
related agencies and companies, legislators and
government officials.
Graphic Design/Layout – Donna Uribe, WARWS
Articles, letters, and photos are welcome.
Submit to:
Wyoming Association of Rural Water Systems,
PO Box 1750, Glenrock WY 82637
“An equal opportunity provider”
(307) 436-8636
TDD 1-800-877-9965
e-mail: warws@warws.com
Web Site: http://www.warws.com
WARWS Staff
Office:
Mark Pepper, Executive Director
(307) 259-6903 markp@warws.com
Jane Jeffs, Office Manager
janejeffs@warws.com
Donna Uribe, Administrative Coordinator
(307) 258-3414 warws@warws.com
Field:
Ross Jorgensen, USDA Registered Circuit Rider, UMC
(307) 251-2803 rossj@warws.com
Michelle Christopher, USDA Circuit Rider
(307) 259-8239 mchristopher@warws.com
Kathy Weinsaft, USEPA Training Specialist, UMC
(307) 262-3943 kweinsaft@warws.com
Contents and Features
Spring is here – bah humbug!!!, Mark Pepper.........................................................6
Spring Conference Wrap Up...................................................................................8
Requiem for a Water Rascal, Todd Jarvis.............................................................10
WYOWARN...........................................................................................................15
Revised Total Coliform Rule, Bre Bockstahler.......................................................14
Coming to a system near you, Michelle Christopher.............................................15
Injections remembered, Dan Chamberlain............................................................16
Characteristics of Wastewater (Part 3), Mark Court..............................................18
Mc. Schultheis goes to Washington, Aaren Schultheis.........................................22
we have a problem, Kathy Weinsaft......................................................................23
The only time we have is NOW, Miles Edwards....................................................24
Wyoming Community Profile – Point of Rocks, Mark Court..................................25
The Pony Express, Mark Court.............................................................................26
Our Western Heritage, Kathy Weinsaft.................................................................28
Mark Court, USDA Registered Wastewater Specialist, UMC
(307) 262-3974 mcourt@warws.com
Dan Chamberlain, State Small Systems Circuit Rider, UMC
(307) 248-8021 dchamberlain@warws.com
Miles Edwards, USDA Source Water Specialist
(307) 554-0079 medwards@warws.com
UMC - Utility Management Certification
The Association
Wyoming Association of Rural Water Systems is a non-profit association
that provides on-site, one-on-one technical assistance and training to small
municipalities under 10,000 population and all water and wastewater systems
throughout the state. Equal Opportunity Provider.
Cover Photo –
WARWS Board of Directors
President
Loren Crain, Antelope Valley I&SD
(307) 680-5050 elc.warws@vcn.com
Vice President
Chuck McVey, Town of Saratoga
(307) 329-5807 cmcvey_7@yahoo.com
Secretary/Treasurer
Erin Martin, Shoshone Utility Organization
(307) 330-6144 shoshonewater@hotmail.com
National Director
Earl McKinney, Rural West, LLC
(307) 250-2742 ruralwestwyo@yahoo.com
Director
Ron Overson, Grand Targhee Resort
(208) 705-7899 roverson@grandtarghee.com
WARWS’ Mission:
To provide the assistance necessary to meet the needs of our
membership and to ensure the protection of Wyoming’s water
~ our most precious resource.
Bachelor’s in Range Ecology and Watershed Management
from the University of Wyoming. She started on May 1 and
promptly headed out into the issues of flooding and high turbidity, welcome to Rural Water!
Spring is here – bah humbug!!!
As I write this on May 11, 2016, I just drove through a couple
SNOW flurries, 35+mph gusts and below 40 degree weather
on my way from Casper to Cheyenne, Bah Humbug!!!
The week after our “Spring” conference (yes, Mr. Anderton,
you got out of town just in time!) we had three storms roll
through the state dumping anywhere from 12” to 48” of very
wet snow, even more in the mountains. And now this last
weekend, parts of the state saw as much as 7” of hard rain
in a single day. If it wasn’t for the very real desire to wear a
golf shirt and no parka, or simply get baked by the sun, the
last 3 weeks would be more than welcome moisture – and
begrudgingly, it has been a GREAT WET SPRING SO FAR.
We really did need it, as our snowpack during the winter was
a little low. I think we have caught up to normal and maybe a
little past it now. But, damn, daddy needs some sun!!!
Maybe the longing for sun and my disposition has a lot to do
with a tough few months for our Rural Water family and me.
As many of you know, we lost one of our Circuit Riders to
cancer in early March, I lost my father-in-law on December
31, so 2016 kinda sucks so far. But there is great hope! The
sun may shine.
This issue we introduce Michelle Christopher as our new
Circuit Rider. She is a great addition! I continually ask the
staff to be on the lookout for people who they think would
be good replacements or additions (should we ever get additional programs or the need arises). Michelle was on a
few lists as a potential target, including on Jim Van Dorn’s
list. Those who knew Jim and his “gentle disposition” will
know that while he readily admitted to “some issues” with
Michelle at times (we all know Jim probably had issues with
everyone, at times), he relented that she would be a good
Circuit Rider.
Michelle comes to us from the thriving Metropolis of Baggs,
WY, Population about 300. Even though it is a tiny community, they are a surface system with all of the complexities
associated with. Michelle was the Public Works Director for
Baggs since 2007, after spending 1 year as one of the operations staff. Prior to joining Baggs, Michelle worked for the
Wyoming Game and Fish Department as a Crew Leader on
a Habitat and Access Crew for about 3 years. She has her
I was particularly proud of how our entire team came together in difficult times to put on one of our best Spring Training Conferences, our 25th anniversary conference! We had
quite a few more moving parts to this conference for many
reasons. We hosted a forum for engineers to receive funding
updates from all of the federal and state funding agencies, as
well as licensing updates from the state licensing boards. Our
pre-conference day saw the largest First Responder training
in the state. Wyoming Department of Homeland Security
conducted the training session and testing. I like to think
we helped them test their logistical preparedness as over 320
attended the training session, and over 180 took and passed
the associated test. With the success, Wyoming now has 180
Water and Wastewater Operations Specialists who will receive their First Responder credentials. More sessions will
be done throughout the year as we strive to have all 1,100
specialists receive the training and take the test.
With this being an election year and coming on the heels of
a difficult legislative budget session, we welcomed our Secretary of State, NRWA past President Doug Anderton and
one of our State House leaders to give their perspective of
funding challenges facing water and sewer systems due to
decreased state and local revenues. We had more requests
from USEPA HQ and USDA RUS for presentation sessions
this year; hosted our ever popular Putt-Putt Golf Tournament
and Meet ‘n’ Greet; had an “Evening of Memories of Jim” to
allow people from around the state and country to come together and share stories, thoughts, tears and hugs. A rewarding but emotionally draining evening. We closed out the
week with our Annual Association Business meeting and the
spring board meeting. There was whiskey consumed Friday
night!! (I coulda used a couple fish bowls!!!)
And now, we race full bore into the coming summer (we
hope we have a long summer, maybe all 3 days will come
in a row!). We are already in planning for our upcoming
Fall Expo. Emergency Response and Preparedness, lead and
copper, RTCR just to name a few topics that will undoubtedly receive attention in training sessions this summer and
during the fall.
Hopefully getting some sun and some rest will help recharge
my energy (the whiskey did help get me started). Thanks to
all of the operations specialists in the state who welcome us
into their systems and are so eager to educate all of us about
their systems, issues they face and the solutions that they
develop. Many thanks to the WARWS team for helping me
and all of us through the last few months, to our board for
jumping into the fray and helping.
Spring has sprung, the waters are receding (for now), as a
headwater state, we will be able to supply most of the country with sufficient water thanks to the snow pack and wet
spring. Hey, maybe things are looking up! Mr. P.
Spring Conference Wrap Up
The 25th annual Spring Training Conference and Industry
Trade Show was a resounding success. Starting with over
180 water and wastewater operations specialists achieving
first responder credentialing during the pre conference session to Wyoming’s 21st Secretary of State Ed Murray opening the general session followed by Doug Anderton, General
Manager of Dade County Georgia Water and Sewer Authority and Immediate Past President of the NRWA Board of
Directors and ending with Wyoming House Representative
Tim Stubson, the annual conference started with a bang.
Doug Anderton from Georgia, Dade County Water and Sewer Authority General
Manager and Immediate Past President of NRWA Board of Directors
addressing the opening session.
Wyoming’s 21st Secretary of State, Ed Murray addressed the
opening session. “Even in tough times, we can’t forget infrastructure”.
The largest first responder training session in Wyoming took place during pre
conference. Over 300 registered and received the training with over 180 taking
their first responder test and passing.
ministrator, USDA RUS Water & Environmental Programs
from Washington, DC joined us for a session as well as presented Earth Day awards to a couple worthy projects. Several
state agencies presented on new items with WyDot, WDEQ,
USEPA Region 8 and Head Quarters making presentations
on rules updates, electronic reporting requirements and tools
available to help our operations specialists maintain and provide “Quality on Tap” drinking water.
Wyoming House Representative Tim Stubson (Natrona County) briefed the
opening session on legislative issues and budget concerns.
42 training sessions over 2 ½ days attended by over 320 water
and wastewater operations specialists, mayors, town council
members, special district board members and 65 corporate
partners who exhibited and also provided technical information to the attendees made this anniversary conference a
memorable and successful one. Over 8,000 man hours of
continuing education and training was provided during the
pre conference and general conference. We were happy to
have many distinguished guests this year in addition to the
opening session speakers, Jackie Ponti-Lazaruk, Asst. Ad-
The Best Tasting Water in Wyoming contest saw a repeat
winner, Aspens Water and Sewer District from Teton County.
We look forward to hosting them again this coming February
at the Great American Taste Test in Washington, DC.
Thursday night we said goodbye to one of our own as over
200 attended an “Evening of Memories of Jim” celebration.
Many stories were shared and exchanged about our fallen
Circuit Rider. I was especially grateful for Dave Lathlean
from Atlantic States Rural Water Association (Connecticut
and Rhode Island) as well as Deb Skelton from California
Rural Water Association attending on behalf of the 117 Circuit Riders around the country.
With the close of the conference we also said goodbye to one
of our longest attending corporate partner representatives as
Andy Andreatta completed his last “vendor show” and will be
retiring in September. Mueller has been an exhibitor for all
but 1 year at our Spring Conference. Andy is/was one of the
best presenters I have ever seen. His knowledge and technical
assistance on hydrant maintenance and operation was always
one of the best attended and most requested sessions year after
year. Thank you Andy, I will miss our conversations.
We look forward to seeing everyone at our Fall Training
Expo September 20-22 at the Radisson Hotel in Cheyenne.
Aspens i&II Water and Sewer District repeated as winners of the Best Tasting
Drinking Water in Wyoming contest. Judges were Clara Wool, EPA Water
Laboratory Alliance Guest Researcher from Washington, DC; Matthew
Seedorff, K2TV Evening Anchor; Winning system Water Operations
Specialist Mike Hoeft; Jackie Ponti-Lazaruk, Asst. Administrator, USDA RUS
Water & Environmental Programs from Washington, DC and Lynn Ritter,
Executive Director of the State of Wyoming Water Well Drilling Contractors and
Pump Installation Contractors Board.
The Louise Cordova Award for special recognition in advancing operator certification was awarded to Jim Van Dorn
posthumously with his “Bride” of 32 years Terry accepting
on his behalf. It was an especially difficult evening MC’ing
the event and grieving at the same time! As I said during
the event, Jim was the first “employee” that I have lost in
my 36+ year career, hope I don’t have many more. I miss
his humor and his counsel. I am still awed by the number of
phone calls we received on his passing from many foreign
countries from engineers who had nothing but great memories of tidbits that Jim had given over the years that they had
used in their careers to great advantage (several remarked
about the “schooling” Jim had given them!). I also was glad
to see John Gillis who was able to attend Jim’s evening and
represented many old guard members. John was a long time
Wyoming Team Lead for EPA Region 8 (and the beneficiary
of the John Gillis Annual Putt Putt Tournament being named
for him).
WARWS Executive Director Mark Pepper; Terry Van Dorn and Kim Parker, DEQ
Operator Certification Manager. During the “Evening of Memories of Jim”,
a presentation of the commemorative plaque was given to Jim Van Dorn’s
widow. The Louise Cordova Award is presented each year to a person who
exhibits dedication to the operators and operator certification in the state of
Wyoming. No one deserved the award more than Jim.
Conceptual models were the bread and butter of every
consulting hydrogeologist hired by BOPU to help develop
or rehabilitate the wellfield, but all of them had to return to
the drawing board after a new well was drilled. During the
course of the 1990s wellfield rehabilitation, replacement well
locations in northwestern area became problematic as past
consulting hydrogeologists had not developed a conceptual
model of this part of the wellfield due to a lack of geologic
and geophysical data.
Jim suggested “witching” a new location since we had nothing
to lose. He broke out two bent welding rods and started his
survey, making transects across the area, trying to replicate
the readings and marking the areas of “positive” readings.
The pattern of “positive” readings aligned in a manner
similar to the fracture patterns we had observed elsewhere
in the wellfield. The old well scheduled for replacement
declined in production to less than 200 gallons per minute.
The contractor drilled a test hole at the “witched” location,
with the geologic logs indicating the possibility of increased
fracturing of the well-cemented sediments in the area. Test
pumping of the new well indicated over 600 gallons per
minute, much to the chagrin of one of the wellsite geologists
with a freshly minted Ph.D.!
Requiem for a Water Rascal
Jim “Fat Boy” Van Dorn died on March 11, 2016. The news
of the cancer that killed him was not widespread. I first
heard of it from his colleagues at the Wyoming Association
of Rural Water Systems on March 9. Jim’s wife Terri called
me on March 10. That was the Jim Van Dorn way – a private
person when it came to his own life, but a selfless champion
for persons in need of just about anything from money to
friendship. He was well known for good BBQ recipes,
professional advice on anything water, and, of all things, his
“bad” hair.
I first met Jim in 1993 when I was a consulting hydrogeologist
and he was the wellfield supervisor for the City of Cheyenne
Board of Public Utilities (BOPU). BOPU was in the process
of rehabilitating 44 wells comprising the wellfield to
supplement the extensive pipelines moving water from the
Snowy Range over 100 miles to the west.
The complex geology and hydrology of the wellfield was not
well known beyond reconnaissance-level studies by the US
Geological Survey. A little known historical fact about the
wellfield was that one of the pioneers of modern groundwater
hydrology, C.V. Theis, tested his mathematical equations on
the Cheyenne wellfield in the 1940s. He noted that nearly
every one of his limiting assumptions associated with the
use of his analytical technique were violated in the Ogallala
Aquifer tapped by BOPU’s wellfields. Theis’s assessment
of the Ogallala Aquifer underlying the wellfields was that it
was “mediocre”.
Jim’s work as a professional communicator spanned the
classroom to the courtroom. He was a skilled negotiator
with an established track record ranging from acquiring
access across private property to water sharing with longestablished ranch families, as well as the wealthy newcomers
who were gentrifying the southeastern Wyoming ranchlands.
Jim was instrumental in preserving BOPU’s groundwater
rights as the race to the pumps near the wellfields ramped up
with subdivision development. While hydrologists watched
water move through well screens or across their computer
screens, Jim worked with both the lawyers and geologists in
the melodramas found on the movie screen – fightin’ over
water. Jim’s encyclopedic knowledge of the wellfield was
key to fighting off the spaghetti western water wars of the
late 1990s and early 2000 in western Laramie County.
Jim was a strong supporter of partnering with universities
and training the next generation of water professionals.
As one of the first public water systems to comply with
the Wyoming Wellhead Protection Program, Jim used the
BOPU wellfield as an opportunity for social learning. Jim
developed the scope of work for BOPU to fund a graduate
student in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the
University of Wyoming to delineate the wellhead protection
areas (WHPAs) for the BOPU wellfield.
One learns the difference between a friend and an acquaintance
once you move. Jim always contacted me early to meet up
at national groundwater conferences. One year he traveled
to the end of the “Oregon Trail” to visit me while I was in
graduate school; he even helped me teach a class on water
systems during a summer session. He enjoyed driving his
Lincoln Continental long distances. His love affair for travel
served him well in his encore career.
Jim left BOPU in 2006 to join Wyoming Association of
Rural Water Systems (WARWS) as a circuit rider. He asked
that I write a letter of recommendation to accompany his
application, which was an easy task for me to complete. His
unique knowledge of well-based public water systems was
of great value to WARWS since the vast majority of rural
water systems in Wyoming are dependent on wells. I recall
Executive Director Mark Pepper commenting at a conference
that my letter read like Jim could jump tall buildings in a
single bound. He later learned that Jim could, and did so
frequently, while servicing Wyoming rural water systems.
Obituary
James M. “Jim” Van Dorn, 63, of Cheyenne passed away
March 11 after a short bout with an aggressive cancer at
Davis Hospice Center.
He was born in White Plains, N.Y., to Edward and Jeanette
Van Dorn on Nov. 14, 1952.
Jim was a graduate of Central High School. He served in the
Wyoming Air National Guard 153D TAC Alft Gp.
Jim loved working for WARWS. He valued the collegiality
of all that worked with him, both at WARWS, and all of
his “customers” located across Wyoming. He was famous
for his controversial articles on water history in the state
(sometimes co-written with me) and the “Ask Hank”
columns with Hank Baski. His regular “Fat Boy’s Kitchen”
columns and commentary on cooking high energy and
mega-calorie recipes were must reads in each issue of The
Wyoming Connection.
Jim worked more than 30 years in the field of water resource
management. He currently worked for Wyoming Rural
Water (WARWS).
Returning to Jim’s “bad” hair days. Unlike me, Jim was
famous for both having lots of hair and the audacity to wear
it long as he did during his Harley Davidson days. Many
folks just considered Jim’s hair as a symbol of his rebellious
and independent nature. But a few of us knew the real reason
– Jim regularly grew his hair long so it could be harvested
and used for wigs for cancer patients.
His love for animals was undeniable. He cared for lost,
rescued or stray animals. His heart would respond with
kindness, patience and love.
Mark Twain once said, “There are basically two types of
people. People who accomplish things, and people who
claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less
crowded”. Most folks will agree, Jim was an accomplished
son, brother, husband, father, water dowser, and friend. He
will be missed by all of the waitpersons and motel staff
he regularly encountered on his tours as a circuit rider.
Water systems across Wyoming are all in better shape than
before Jim visited. He might have appeared to be irascible
to some, as he did not suffer fools gladly who claimed
“accomplishments” in the water business. But in the end,
Jim was a valued colleague and friend to all. He made the
world a better place. He will be sorely missed. Todd Jarvis
Todd Jarvis is the Director of the Institute for Water & Watersheds
at Oregon State University and a frequent speaker at Wyoming
Association of Rural Water Systems conferences.
Jim’s one great passion was serving the people of Wyoming
as a USDA Registered Circuit Rider UMC, one of only 117
in the country. He was a remarkable bricklayer and master
stone mason. He designed and built the home that he, Terry
and their many pets have lived in for more than 20 years.
Jim is survived by his “bride” of 32 years, Terry; two children,
Amy Jo of California and Christopher of Sarasota, Fla.;
mother, Jeanette; 10 brothers and sisters, Thomas, Raymond,
Janice, Richard (Kathleen), Steven, Jennifer Tomasco (Dick),
Jill Kline (Ron), Linda (Stan), Larry (Chrissy) and Jeff;
two grandchildren, Michael and Natasha Van Dorn, both of
Sarasota, Fla.; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his father, Edward Van Dorn.
Jim wished to express his love to his family and friends who
were part of his life.
At his request, there will be no services. Expressions of
sympathy may be made in Jim’s honor to Wounded Warrior
Project or ASPCA.
Cremation has taken place under the direction of Schrader,
Aragon and Jacoby Funeral Home. Condolences may be
made at www.schradercares.com.
from Joe Hensel
Joe Hensel, Water Operations Specialist from South
Torrington and Jim’s friend, prepared this speech for
“Memories of Jim” held at our Spring Conference:
Jim, to me, was a mentor, friend, and brother, all wrapped up
in a rough exterior with a gentle heart. I have been hooked
since Jim told me he was an Air Force, Vietnam vet. My hats
off to any of you that are serving or have served in the armed
forces.
Jim had a way of handling situations by being blunt while
not being offensive. If he had to, in Jim’s own way, he could
probably tell you to go to hell, and you’d probably look
forward to the trip!
and raise my glass to Jim. I will, someday, cross the line and
once again be proud to hang with you on the other side.
Those of you that saw Jim and me during recess, here at
the conference, knew that one of us was always drawing an
imaginary line in the sand, tempting the other to cross it.
God Bless you Jim. Thank you for helping us make Wyoming
water that much better. Joe
There were times when I’d draw the line and Jim would stand
right on it and say “now what?” I’d reply with something
like “you’re just lucky that you’re bigger than me”.
While we were doing our replacement project, I was talking
to Jim one day and told him, “Jim, I don’t understant it. No
matter how much barking I do, and try to grab the bull by by
the horns, no one will listen to me or take me serious”.
Jim had a simple solution, he said something to the effect of,
“You need to follow your bark with a bite, leave the horns
alone, get ‘em by the balls, I guarantee that you’ll get a
different response.”
Jim and I would often trade off buying lunch or dinner
whenever we got together. When Jim was planning on
visiting our district, he’d always call a day in advance to
make sure I had a plan for lunch.
One time, while eating at this coffee shop/pizzeria in
Torrington, we were sitting towards the back of the diner,
cattycorner from, what looked like, a birthday party of 8-10
people. After at least 10 minutes of waiting for drink refills,
Jim turned to the birthday party and asked them if they were
waiting on drinks as well. And they were.
The two teenagers working at the time, were standing at the
counter talking, and messing around on their phones. Jim
looked at me and asked “can you read the phone number on
the sign outside?” After I read the number to Jim, he dialed
the number to the diner and when one of the two answered,
Jim says, “Yeah, I’d like to order a round of drinks for the
two tables behind you”.
The poor kid turned around and looked at us to find Jim just
smiling and waving at her. Her eyes were as big as saucers
and they both came quickly and got us refills. Jim just smiled
and winked.
I’d like to thank and recognize the Rural Water staff: Mr. P,
Jane, Donna, Ross, Kathy, Mark Court, Dan, Miles, Loren,
Erin, Earl, Chuck & Ron for making me feel like we’re all
family and us operators do make a difference. During my
visit to Cheyenne, I had the pleasure ot meeting Jim’s wife,
Terry, for the first time. Terry is a nice and genuine lady.
I’d like to send a special thank you to Donna Uribe for
keeping me informed on Jim’s condition and well being
during the final struggle. Thank you, Donna, for being my
friend as well.
In closing, even though I believe that it’s Jim’s turn to buy
dinner, he had drawn the final line in the sand and I hope
that it’s quite a few years before I cross it. I take off my hat
from Ross Jorgensen
Jim,
Thank you for being part of the past 9 years of my life.
You kept me grounded and in line through those years and
although I can’t pick up the phone and call, or should I say
text you because you “don’t do voice mail”, I know that
I will continue to hear your voice telling me “it doesn’t
matter so don’t be stupid” (only you will know what this
means between us).
I’ve always been a loner and can count on one hand those
who have truly been a friend, but I knew from day one that
you would always be at the top of my list. Although you
never said anything or I never had to ask, I know your help
was there no matter the circumstance, time of day or what
you would give up to be there for me.
You will be dearly missed by this “grumpy old fart”, but
never forgotten. One day I will be looking for you on the
other side, but in the meantime if you see Levi and Garrett,
give them a hug for me and tell them “Papa sends his love”.
Your friend always - Ross
from Mark Pepper
Rest in Peace James (Jim) Van Dorn!
It is with tremendous sorrow that I write those words.
Jim passed away March 11 in Cheyenne. Jim had been
hospitalized in Casper since February 26th, after several
tests and procedures warranted. Many of you probably
noticed that Jim had been feeling poorly for a few months.
Over the next few days additional tests were done to try and
determine a treatment plan to address Jim’s issues.
I visited him several times over those next days and could
not believe that he had been on his phone with operators
answering questions or texting. We were able to talk a little,
but mostly he would sleep. On about March 8, options were
exhausted and on March 9, Jim was transported from Casper
to the Davis Hospice Center in Cheyenne. He arrived back
in Cheyenne at about 4 pm on the 9th and passed away at
about 2 pm on March 11.
I have to tell all who read this that Jim was fighting for Rural
Water and Water Operations Specialists until the end, literally!
Our Association field staff meets annually with EPA Rules
Managers to discuss issues that we see in the field and items
that EPA needs to get out to the field. I attended the meeting,
and, as always, all of the staff, Jim, Dan Chamberlain, Mark
Court, Ross Jorgensen, Miles Edwards and Kathy Weinsaft
gave full unfiltered (generally respectful) barrels to EPA
staff. Jim was weak, and a little hoarse, but gave as good as
usual, although he did get winded a couple times and had to
rest. That meeting was all day on February 23rd.
I think that final meeting says volumes about Jim, his
dedication and his knowledge of regulations and rules was
very evident. He should not have been at that meeting, but
true to his character, he told me he had a few things he wanted
to say. We will all miss the “mild mannered discussions” that
we all have had with Jim at some point. His “calm demeanor”
in talking about some of the inconsistencies between written
regulations and rules application were always on point. I’m
sure we all have massive amounts of stories about Jim from
the road.
I know that whenever he traveled, his ability to remember
people and events was beyond belief. He was able to build
a rapport with anyone and earn their respect and friendship.
His ability to negotiate was unbelievable. At any hotel in the
state there is a corporate rate, a government rate and the Van
Dorn rate! Many hotels in the state should see an increase in
income now that Jim will not be visiting.
He truly cared for all he met and tried to help. The Association
enjoys an extremely dedicated and talented staff. All the staff
is the best and ideally suited to be road warriors, traveling
the state providing technical assistance in any situation (and
usually correct!!).
After a stint in the Air Force and 23+ years with Cheyenne
Board of Public Utilities, Jim joined us about 10 years ago,
and I would like to think, he really found his calling.
There are 117 Circuit Riders within the National Rural Water
Association family in all 50 states. Judging by the phone
calls we received from many of them, Jim was a stalwart
among them. His passing proves that we are here a short
time and should try to make the most of it. I don’t think any
of us will be able to remember Jim and not say he made the
most of his time.
WYOWARN is a group of Wyoming water and
wastewater utilities that cooperatively prepare for the
next natural or man-made disaster by bridging political
and jurisdictional boundaries through training, protocols
and agreements so that utilities can respond to disasters
by sharing personnel, tools and equipment.
Why do we need WYOWARN?
Water and wasteewater systems provide for public
health, sanitation and safety. When water and wastewater
systems fail, the well-being of communities quickly
deteriorates. Without clean water and ways to remove
and treat wastewater, communities become susceptible to
disease and illness. The lack of water constrains
emergency services such as medical response and fire
fighting. In these conditions, people become frustrated
and fearful.
Restoring service restores hope and the ability of a
community to respond to natural of man-made disasters.
Neighboring utilities already have the trained staff
familiar with Wyomiing Water Quality Rules and
Regulations. They are familiar with western water
systems and are already prepared for and accustomed
to Wyoming weather. They already have the specialized
equipment needed for testing, pumping, or repairs and
may have backup supplies of pipe, valves, chemicals,
generators, etc., readily available.
While it is already the Wyoming way to lend a hand to
our neighbors when they need it, having procedures and
responsibilities spelled out ahead of time prepares us
for the day when we need it. That is what WYOWARN is
about – preparing utilities to help each other in the event
of an emergency.
Not a member yet? Join WYOWARN!
1. Visit the WYOWARN website at www.WYOWARN.org
and click on “Become a WYOWARN member Today!”.
2. Download the Wyoming Mutual Aid and Assistance
agreement.
3. Obtain necessary permissions to sign the Mutual Air
Agreement
4. Sign and return the agreement to:
Wyoming Association of Rural Water Systems
PO Box 1750
Glenrock, WY 82637
or e-mail a scanned copy to:
markp@warws.com
you the assessment. You must be able to access this
online or contact our office if you need the form.
The Revised Total Coliform Rule is here!
– Bre Bockstahler
Hopefully everyone is ready for the Revised Total Coliform
Rule because it is here! Do you have everything in place?
What should you know?
Below are some steps that your system should have already
completed or at least become familiar with:
•
Your system should have already submitted its
updated Sample Siting Plan. If not- DO THIS NOW!
This plan needs to be filled out in entirety which
includes listing out all potential repeat locations and
including a map with the locations listed. Please send
the completed forms to Gary Benejam at benejam.
gary@epa.gov.
•
Be taking monthly samples. This is not a change
for most systems, but be aware that all sampling
will now be monthly beginning in April. Three
repeats are required for EACH TC+ routine sample.
Your system will no longer have to take additional
routines the month after a TC+ routine sample. Just
go back to regular sampling.
•
There is no more monthly MCL violation. If you
have multiple TC+’s in a month, this triggers a Level
1 assessment.
•
Get familiar with the Level 1 assessment. This has
to be completed by the water system and sent to the
EPA Region 8 office within 30 days of learning of
the trigger. In other words, when the lab notifies
you that a routine and subsequent repeat are TC+,
you must complete this assessment (systems over
50,000 people only have to complete the Level 1
assessment when 5% of your samples are TC+). Our
office will not always be able to notify you or send
•
If any combination of routine and repeat samples
contain both TC+ and EC+ samples, this triggers
a Level 2 assessment as well as an E coli MCL
violation. In this case, EPA Region 8 will contact
you to set up a time for a third party to conduct the
Level 2 assessment. You must begin providing
public notice immediately which would be a boil
order in this case.
•
Be sure to take all routine and repeat samples. Failure
to collect routines will trigger monitoring violations
and failure to collect all required repeats will trigger
a Level 1 or Level 2 assessment (depending if the
original result is TC+ or EC+).
If you still have questions, or need copies of the forms, visit
our RTCR page on our Drinking Water Online website: http://
www.epa.gov/region8-waterops/revised-total-coliform-rule.
On a personal note, this will be the last article I write for
the WARWS quarterly newsletter. After almost 14 years in
drinking water, I have taken a position in our Emergency
Preparedness Unit. I hope this still would allow me to work
alongside many of you in some aspect. I have truly enjoyed
working with you all and I will greatly miss the Drinking
Water Program. Best Wishes to you all!
WARWSDOKU
Coming to a system near you!
Hi! I’m Michelle Christopher, the new Drinking Water Circuit Rider for WARWS. Unfortunately, I have some HUGE
shoes to fill – Jim Van Dorn’s. He left a hole in the community that I’m afraid will never be completely filled.
Prior to this adventure, I was the Director of Public Works
in Baggs. We, like most small towns in Wyoming practiced
Holistic Utility Management. This is a fancy way of saying
we did it all. We ran the water plant, wastewater lagoons,
fixed the water main breaks and unclogged the blocked sewer mains. All while mowing the park, spraying weeds and
mosquitoes, grading and plowing snow from the streets, and
keeping the town beautiful by watering the flower planters.
We also took care of the water and wastewater systems for
the town of Dixon, seven miles east of Baggs. I’ve survived
floods, administrative orders, notices of violation, angry citizens, engineers, good contractors and bad contractors. I’ve
even lived to tell the tale of how to survive a 5 hour council
meeting. (Coffee. And lots of it.) I look forward to learning from the old hands in this business, and helping the new
folks not repeat the same mistakes I did.
When I’m not working in the water and wastewater business,
I am the average Wyoming resident, who loves to backback,
hunt and fish. I also
garden and help on
my family’s ranch. I
blush at random things,
and have grown accustomed to the stir it creates. My husband and
I have the smartest dog
in the world, Sherman.
I’m so excited to see all
of the systems in Wyoming, and meet their
most valuable resource,
the water operators.
The objective is to fill in the empty squares so each row,
each column, and each 3x3 block contains the numbers
1-9 with no repeats.
Injections remembered
I have a four-drawer file cabinet jammed full of job and
project files from my twenty-four years as a pressure
grouting contractor. After thirteen years out of the business,
occasionally someone will find me through the internet. A
few years ago I was contacted by a company working on
the Bear Tooth Highway above Cooke City, Montana. I
couldn’t help myself. I consulted with them, pointing out
the limitations and possible methods of filling the voids in
the backwall of a bridge abutment. I told them how to set it
up, and a month later I was there for a half-day making the
injections. It worked like a charm.
I’ve kept all of those files thinking that someday someone
may want to know what happened: pressures, materials,
injection intervals and rates, etc. It has rarely happened.
Many of the projects were hundreds of thousands of dollars,
even thirty years ago. Many were less. Others were one-day
wonders for which a file was never created. It seems it is
those one-day wonders that I both remember, and for which
people call wanting a record.
I was reading the Water Well Minimum Construction
Standards the other day and found myself in several walks
down memory lane. Chapter 1 states the purpose of the
standards is “…
to protect the use of the state’s ground water resources.” And,
“…protection measures against contamination for ground
water resources.”
Type II Well Drawing From Minimum Construction
Standards
I’m guessing no one would argue with that purpose,
especially in the abstract. Once it becomes personal, difficult,
inconvenient, and costly, people tend to find many arguments
and strategies to avoid them. Chapter 3, Section 1, (h), (i) &
(iii) among other things states:
• Well casing shall be sealed to prevent vertical
movement or leakage of fluid in the annular space
between casing and borehole wall.
•
Plans for well construction shall include
allowances for maximum effective emplacement of
grout as a seal to protect the source aquifer and/or
assure structural integrity of the entire cased well.
•
All wells shall have an annular surface seal of
grout extending not less than 20 feet below ground
surface or to useable water below ground surface.
The surface seal must be placed in at least a 2-inch
annular space. The completed surface seal must
fully surround the outermost casing, be evenly
distributed, and be free of voids.
About 35 years ago, an acquaintance called and asked about
having an annular seal placed in a pretty deep, bedrock,
flowing well. It was sited in a McMansion’s yard on the
bench of a mountain. The owner had hired a driller who had
drilled to about 1500 feet and had hit little water. He said he
could drill no deeper and pulled off. The acquaintance had
moved onto the bore, drilled thirty feet and hit a 600 GPM
flowing well. After everyone had a nice bath and the tools
were extracted from the bore and the flow cut off, attention
was turned to the annular seal and how to cash in on the
bonanza.
By the time I got the call, an injection pipe (tremie pipe)
had been installed down the annular space several hundred
feet. The problem was that the annulus was not 2 inches; it
was closer to 1 inch. That limited the inside diameter of the
tremie pipe to ½ inch. By the time you add the wall thickness
and couplings, it measures a little over an inch. I’ve milled
flats on couplings to get them down tight annuli.
I wasn’t there when the tremie pipe was installed, but the
chore wasn’t lost on me; and I knew that to lose that tube
meant severe complications in getting a seal that would “fully
surround the outermost casing, be evenly distributed, and be
free of voids.” This was a long time before the above-quoted
Wyoming Water Well Minimum Construction Standards
were written. In fact, it wasn’t in Wyoming at all.
The State Engineer’s Office required a Neat Cement Grout
Slurry. Wyoming specifies 94 pounds of Portland cement
(1 ft.3) to not more than six gallons of water. Five gallons
of water produces a slurry about the consistency of cheap
ketchup, but much heavier. Adding another gallon to six
gallons improves its mobility considerably. The challenge is
that it also increases the slurry’s propensity to “bleed” which
is a settling of the solids out of suspension. Wyoming does
not require a high-shear mixer that will produce a colloidal
slurry. Colloidal slurries will bleed far less even at the same
water/cement ratios. Another challenge is that Portland
cement can only react with a finite amount of water.
Neat cement slurries can feel rather slippery, but cement
particles are angular and abrasive. Powdered cement is
made by pulverizing clinkers in a rod or ball mill. Fly ash,
which is the byproduct of coal combustion at power plants,
looks much like cement powder to the eye but each particle
is spherical. In pressure injections, this can make a huge
difference. Grouting a well bore is a bottom-up process. The
grout has to be introduced at the bottom of the interval and
forced upward to insure a complete and intimate fill. It also
displaces or floats any water above the grout as the grout is
much heavier.
One of the biggest challenges of a deep injection is losing
the injection pipe by plugging. In a ½” pipe, it only takes
two pea-sized lumps or contaminants in the slurry to get out
of single file in the pipe to plug it (another argument for a
colloidal mixer). This usually happens at a joint. Once the
flow stops and the pump bears down (or simply the weight
of the grout column above causes the water in the slurry to
move beyond the obstruction leaving the solids behind), the
pipe is plugged. In an instant, 1000 psi won’t move it. We
used to call them “dry packs.” Often, 1000 psi will blow a
joint apart and flow resumes, but you don’t know how much
of the pipe column you have lost; and you are no longer
filling in a bottom-up application.
The deeper the injection the greater the precautions we
would take to insure against “dry packs.” We would screen
the batched slurry using a ½” screen into the hopper. We
then used a 3/16” screen built into a reducer that was
connected to the injection pipe. This would cause any
plugging or dry pack to occur at the grout head and not
down-hole. It was amazing what you would find caught
in the screens: bolts and nuts (that we assumed came from
the cement plant or packagers); grout chips and flaking
broken off of valves, pipes, mixers, pumps or hoses; small,
hardened cement clods, etc. We’d break apart the reducer,
clean the screens and continue.
It takes a long time to move 100-150 ft3 of grout at 5
gallons a minute, which is about all you can get through
a ½” pipe. Without any delays it adds up to a 3-4 hour
injection. All the while the slurry in the annulus is
congealing; you have to keep it moving. It’s hard to put
into words the anxiety you feel throughout the injection,
especially when you have more hovering inspectors than
workers. It’s pretty exhilarating when you see the grout
return to the surface in one happy flow.
As referenced above, the state requires a cemented seal
for a variety of reasons. One of the most important things
is to keep surface contaminants—and even below ground
level contaminants—out of the aquifer and your well. This
is especially important on the days that you draw a sample
to take to the lab for your monthly TC sample. Of course,
coliform is only an indicator of microbiology in your well,
so maybe it’s important every day. Who knows what crowd
of pathogens coliform is hanging out with?
Characteristics of Wastewater (Part 3)
Chemical Characteristics (Continued)
In Part 2 of “Characteristics of Wastewater”, we discussed
the different types of solids and what they mean as part
of the wastewater stream. In this issue of the “Wyoming
Connection” we will go further in depth on “Chemical
Characteristics”. and will discuss Solids and Treatment.
Solids and Treatment
One of the most important efficiency measurements in
wastewater is the reduction of total suspended solids (TSS)
through the plant. This can only be accomplished by
measuring a representative baseline sample from the influent
and comparing it with representative effluent sample.
The removal of TSS cannot be accomplished by a single
treatment process as each process unit contributes to the
overall reduction. If one processes is failing then chances
are your end results will also fail to meet the requirements
of your discharge permit. If you are struggling to meet your
discharge permit requirements then it is time to re-evaluate
each process of your treatment plant to see what issues you
are facing.
Preliminary and Primary Treatment
Many types of debris will eventually end up coming into
a wastewater treatment plant through the collection system.
THE MORE THAT IS REMOVED PRIOR TO THE
WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT, THE MORE
EFFICIENT YOUR WASTEWATER TREATMENT
PLANT WILL WORK. Rocks, roots, rubber and plastic
products, bottles, rags and even lumber has come through
the collection system into treatment plants. These must be
removed in order to protect plant equipment such as pumps
and valves from damage.
I have heard in the past from operators and elected officials
that “My lagoon system is completely gravity fed so it is
not necessary to remove these item prior to my lagoons.
For those that have made that statement, you may not have
pumps and valves that can be destroyed but your lagoons will
become unsightly and all these solids that you did not remove
prior to treatment are way more expensive to remove from
the lagoon then they are from the collection system and the
cost of dredging will continue to rise. Settleable solids and
floatable materials removal is the first step in TSS reduction.
Because of this, it is important to remove as much of this
material as possible prior to the treatment plant.
Secondary Treatment
After the preliminary and primary treatment processes
have removed the floatable and settleable solids, you still
suspended and dissolved solids to remove from wastewater.
Secondary treatment is also called the biological treatment
process because this is where microbiology in the wastewater
use the suspended and dissolved solids as a food source.
Microorganisms convert suspended and dissolved solids into
water, gases and settleable solids. While we measure the
reduction of TSS as the efficiency of the treatment process, it
is the dissolved solids that make up the majority of the food
supply for the bacteria in the secondary treatment process
Nutrients Impact on Biological Activity
The proper nutrient balance to maintain for proper biological
activity is defined as the Carbon:Nitrogen:Phosphorous
Ratio. That is, for every 100 pounds of carbon (BOD)
(Biochemical Oxygen Demand) entering the treatment
plant, 5 pounds of nitrogen (ammonia nitrogen + nitrate +
nitrite) and 1 pound of phosphorous (as orthophosphate) is
required to be available to the bacteria. If these minimum
requirement are not met, the bacteria that do survive will not
perform as expected. In other words, a nutrient deficient
wastewater treatment plant WILL NOT make a clear effluent
or produce a sludge that will settle or smell very good.
What Type of Dissolved Gasses?
You will find oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide,
methane, and nitrogen as dissolved gases in wastewater.
With the exception of oxygen, all of these gases are produced
by the decomposition of organic materials. Oxygen and
carbon dioxide are two dissolved gases that are important to
wastewater operations. While some gases dissolve relatively
easily there are others that do not.
The Impact of Dissolved Oxygen (DO)
Dissolved oxygen (DO) is vital to most aquatic organisms
and to secondary treatment plants. It is an essential
parameter in determining water quality on lakes and streams.
The volume of oxygen that can be dissolved in wastewater
dependent on water temperature. The higher the wastewater
temperature; the lower the oxygen saturation level. The
lower the wastewater temperature; the higher the oxygen
saturation level. Various wastewater treatment processes
rely on mechanical addition of oxygen into the wastewater to
stabilize organic matter before it is discharged into a stream
or other water source.
Results of Biological Action
As previously mentioned, there are a multitude of gases other
than oxygen that are found in wastewater, most of which are
products of the biological decomposition process of organic
materials. The production of these gases cannot be stopped
but it is important for the operators working around them to
understand their effects and possible hazards they pose.
The Impact of Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
Since organic materials contain carbon, then the
decomposition of organics will result in the production of
carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is released into wastewater
by microorganisms. In a wastewater lagoon, some of the
carbon dioxide will be consumed by algae and other aquatic
plants. Carbon dioxide is slightly soluble in water while most
of the carbon dioxide will react with the water to produce
carbonic acid (H2CO3).
CO2
+
( Carbon dioxide )
H2O
↔
H2CO3
(Water) (Carbonic acid)
Carbonic acid as like any other acid will lower the pH of the
wastewater column.
Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S)
When organic materials breakdown under anaerobic (without
air) conditions, it will produce hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S).
Hydrogen sulfide give off a “rotten egg” smell and is a very
dangerous substance. Hydrogen sulfide is both an irritant
and a chemical asphyxiant with effects on both oxygen
utilization and the central nervous system. Its health effects
can vary depending on the level and duration of exposure.
Repeated exposure can result in health effects occurring at
levels that were previously tolerated without any effect.
At 100 parts per million, hydrogen sulfide is considered
immediately dangerous to life and health. The lower
explosive limit (LEL) of hydrogen sulfide is 4% by volume.
In other words, it does not take a large concentration of H2S
to cause an explosion so while working in areas where H2S is
likely, it is important to take all necessary safety precautions
before entering or creating a spark in a potentially dangerous
atmosphere. Hydrogen sulfide, when mixed with water will
create an extremely corrosive environment as well. When
combined with water, sulfuric acid is creates. This acid will
destroy all metal, electrical and concrete components in the
wastewater treatment and collection systems. For these
reasons, it is important to control the formation of H2S as
much as possible.
Methane (CH4)
Another by-product as from the decomposition of organic
materials under anaerobic conditions is methane (CH4). Even
though methane is dangerous, it is not classified as toxic.
Do NOT be fooled by this however. Methane is capable of
suffocating a person and is also explosive.
pH
When you hear the term “pH”, the thing that should come
to mind is how basic or how acidic a substance is. More
technically, pH is the measure of hydrogen ion activity in
a solution. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14 with 7 being
neutral. A pH value less than 7 is considered to be acidic
while a pH value greater than 7 is considered to be basic
or alkaline. Keeping wastewater at a pH as close to 7 is
important because the most beneficial bacteria to wastewater
thrive in a pH between 6.8 and 7.2. Another consideration,
the pH range of wastewater at the time of discharge must
be between 6.5 and 9.0 in accordance to most WYPDES
discharge permits. It is important not to allow large pH
variation because undesirable organisms such as fungus and
filaments will take over the plant. These microorganisms
will have negative impact to your treatment process and will
thrive in low pH waters.
Alkalinity
Alkalinity is the measure of water’s ability to neutralize
acids. It can also be defined as a buffer; a chemical system
that tends to stabilize and prevent fluctuation in pH. It is
important to have adequate alkalinity in wastewater to
help buffer against quick changes in pH. Quick changes
in pH will interfere with the common secondary treatment
processes. Consider this, during nitrification, 7.14 pounds
of alkalinity are consumed or every pound of Ammonia-N
that is nitrified. During the denitrification process, 3.57
pounds of alkalinity is recovered for every pound of nitrate
that has been denitrified. Maintaining an adequate alkalinity
is also important factor for proper operations of an anaerobic
digester.
Alkalinity is the result of carbonate (CO3-2), bicarbonate
(HCO3-1) and hydroxide (OH-) ions in wastewater. Do not
confuse alkalinity with pH as wastewater with an acidic pH
contains alkalinity. If necessary, quick lime (calcium oxide,
CaO), hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2) or soda
ash (sodium carbonate, Na2CO3) can be used to increase
alkalinity but also keep in mind that chemical additions
will also increase the sludge production of your treatment
facility.
Summary
In Part 3 of “Characteristics of Wastewater”, we discussed
wastewater solids an treatment including preliminary,
primary and secondary treatment. We also discussed the
proper nutrient balance needed to treat wastewater. Finally,
we discussed the many gases from the treatment processes
along with the pH scale and alkalinity in the wastewater
stream. In the next issue of the “Wyoming Connection”
we will go further in depth on “Chemical Characteristics”
and discuss the impact of heavy metals on treatment and
explain what biochemical oxygen is and why it is important
to understand.
from the kitchen, so he went to a utility sink in the basement
that had not been used in over 6 months and took the
sample. Even though the problem was found and explained
to EPA, you guessed it, additional sampling throughout the
distribution system was required over the next year. O.K.,
enough of this one for now.
What’s Next?
When I first started with Wyoming Association of Rural
Water Systems, many years ago, the latest/greatest thing
coming from USEPA was revisions to the Lead and Copper
Rule. Then changes to the Sanitary Survey Rule, which by
the way was originally set in place to be a “recommended”
upgrade or repair needed in the water system. Next was
Stage 1 Disinfection By-Product Rule followed by the Stage
2 to the Disinfection By-Product Rule.
Right now, we are attempting to deal with the Revised Total
Coliform Rule. More on this topic later in the article.
The big change that hit Water Operation Specialists on
the Lead & Copper Rule was that we, the trained Water
Operations Specialists, could no longer take the samples
ourselves (someone that knows the rules and how to take a
sample) from an outside faucet. The change required that the
sample has to come from inside the house, preferably from
the kitchen faucet. This means that a person not knowing
anything about the rule and what is required for detention
time in the pipelines within the house has been taking this
sample for testing and the water system has to take the home
owner or renter at their word that it was done correctly, a
minimum of 6 hours of no water use and catching the first
water at preferably the kitchen faucet for a proper sample.
Question – How many people that own houses that were
built during the time period required by the rule don’t have
to get up in the middle of the night and use the restroom? Or
what about the person that installed a new, CHEAP kitchen
faucet made in China (known for using lead in everything
including Teddy Bears) in the last couple of months? Or the
DIY home owner that re-plumbs and uses that old roll of lead
solder sitting on the shelf that has put a system in violation
of the rule? Water Operation Specialists and their systems
have adjusted in order to survive and conform. Any of these
events can result in higher lead or copper levels, resulting
at a minimum, additional testing if not installing corrosion
control by the water system that has absolutely no control
over what a homeowner does.
Years ago (10+) I had a homeowner that kept forgetting
to take a proper first draw lead & copper sample and after
several attempts he finally gave me a sample. I was shocked
when the lab results showed that the copper levels exceeded
the maximum contaminate level by 3X the allowable level
when the last two test results from the same house were
barely detectable levels. When I questioned the homeowner,
he admitted to me that he had forgotten to take the first draw
Then changes to Sanitary Survey Rule came along. Originally
sanitary surveys were instituted as a “recommendation for
improvements” which was a foot-in-the-door. Don’t get me
wrong, I agreed with the change until recently (this is another
article in and of itself). As an operator I would take these
recommendations to my council and their first question was
always “do we have to do it?” It wasn’t until the addition of
the Significant Deficiency that I could get monies budgeted
to clean and inspect my system’s storage tanks along with
other operational needs. But eventually, I believe the good
has slowly turned into national policy agenda items becoming
“significant deficiencies”.
I can understand the concept of “what can be measured can
be regulated” mentality but a vital issue that USEPA HQ has
not as yet taken into account is cost vs benefit on some of the
items. The one size fits all rules promulgated, and constantly
mentioned by congressional lawmakers, comes into play on
many sanitary survey items now. I will say this now and
probably a few more times but with limited resources in
many rural water systems, the money could be much better
spent repairing and replacing parts of systems rather than
requiring vent heights or screen changes to prevent a gnat
from getting into a tank while the big hole in the top of the
tank allows a duck to fly into it! Cost vs benefit…… Again,
this is future article after a little more research.
Next was the Stage 2 Disinfection By-Product Rule. Under
Stage 1, surface water and large water systems had to perform
an IDSE (Initial Distribution System Evaluation) to locate
probable locations within the distribution system where Total
Trihalomethanes (TTHM’s) and Haloacedic Acids (HAA5’s)
were at or most likely at their highest levels. Small and/or
Very Small water systems were required to sample at the end
of their systems every 3 years under Stage 1.
Stage 2 required all systems to provide a sampling plan no
matter how low the Stage 1 TTHM’s and HAA5’s results
were and are required to continue testing at least every three
years.
Now it is common knowledge to your Operations Specialist
and EPA that Disinfection. By-Products are formed when
chlorine attacks organics in the water. The vast majority of
groundwater wells not under the influence of surface water
don’t have all the organics found in surface water and have
consistently tested very low for Disinfection By-Products.
The Maximum Contaminate Level for TTHM’s is 80 parts
per billion and HAA5’s are 60 parts per billion with the vast
majority of groundwater systems owned by small rural water
systems are continually showed test results of 0.5 parts per
billion or less (that’s ½ of one part per billion). With test
results this low, why are these small systems required to
continue to spend $300.00 to $400.00 dollars per test. My
answer - EPA’s “One Size Fits All” way of rulemaking has
created unnecessary testing costs. Again, cost vs benefit and
wouldn’t it make more sense to allow for reduced sampling
for consistently low results and allow the savings to be
spent on much needed repairs, replacements or betterments.
I believe this is an area where the various work groups
that have been created by industry groups and the USEPA
could make some common sense changes that would have
beneficial results.
Right now water systems are coming under a new change
in the Total Coliform Rule. For the most part, I kind of like
the changes like not having to take an additional 4 samples
a month after having a TC+ (Total Coliform Positive) test
and the reduction of 4 repeat samples to 3 repeat samples
for most systems. That’s a savings of $20 to $25 per sample.
I like that with a TC + on the routine monthly sample and
then a TC+ on a repeat sample that an operator is required to
inspect/assess their water system and sampling procedures
and report to EPA on what their findings are to why the
bacteriological sample failed. This is good stuff! BUT, as
part of the Revised Rule (don’t you like how the wording
tries to soften it) systems have to submit a “Site Sampling
Plan” of where they will take their Routine Samples and
Repeat Samples in the event of a TC+ result.
Once again part of the rule is a “One Size Fits All”. With the
exception of a very few, the vast majority of trained Water
Operation Specialists know where they have to sample
monthly and where the repeat samples have to be taken
from, but this part of the requirement really appears to be
set up to address problems EPA has had with Non-Transient
Systems that have only been required to sample once every
three months (when open for operations). Although this is
where the majority of Total Coliform Rule violations seem
to occur, the rest of us seem to be bearing the brunt of repeat
sampling due to the issues with a few.
The problem we have run into with assisting small systems
with a sampling plan is that it seems to have become a
moving target. In fairness to USEPA HQ, many issues are
surfacing that are complicating testing protocols as a whole.
Additional information has continued to be added since we
started assisting systems over a year ago. This really has
created some frustration and confusion for this Circuit Rider
particularly. Our assistance is being called into question
as the moving target and additional information is causing
“accepted” plans from 6 months ago to now be returned for
the additional requested information.
WAIT, HOLD THE PRESSES! As soon as I sent this article
off, I opened an e-mail from EPA and a change has been
made to what is now required as part of the site map!
To those systems that received assistance from us over the
past three weeks with RTCR requirements, please take note
of this and accept my apology. We are evaluating the new
change and will attempt to get clarification and again, help
assist with the “additional information” now requested.
You can’t make this up. So once again, to those systems
that received assistance from us over the past three weeks
with RTCR requirements please take note of this and accept
my apology for believing what I was told in a face to face
meeting with the EPA Rule Manager. It appears that what
I was told to resolve an issue with the sampling plan map
apparently wasn’t resolved.
We can only imagine what changes might be included in
the new rule because of the recent news headlines of Flint,
Michigan and how it will affect what we have to sample or
test. Prior to Flint, Michigan, garnering justified headlines
due to falsified test results and other issues that have resulted
in criminal charges against various officials (and I am sure
more to come), NRWA as part of the Lead and Copper rule
work group was literally within a couple weeks of rolling
out revisions that would have been very beneficial to the
operations specialists and systems. Literally, the webinar
scheduled in February to unveil the changes was cancelled
probably as a result of Flint. As the investigation continues,
the consequences of the lead poisoning and corrosion issues
will probably result in strengthened and possibly onerous
changes in the coming months.
At the time I originally wrote this article it was almost 11
PM and I was in a motel room in Lander, WY pounding on
my computer because I received an email from my boss that
an article is past due. My day had been full of trying to assist
systems, mostly with EPA regulations, while my mind was
really on family and a co-worker whom I hold very dear
to my heart. There are so much more important things in
life than a required magazine article or some stupid rule, so
please forgive me this one time.
After a couple of weeks of letting this article sit, I finally
reviewed and edit this article so as to “soften” it, but man you
should have read what I really put down in the beginning!
Jim would have loved it.
God Bless – Ross
tI was also able to hang out at the NRWA office building
which was adjacent to Capitol Hill. Their national office
shared a suite with the Harley Davidson executives and had
an unbelievable view from a top floor patio of the Capitol
Building and the National Mall – a great place to have a
beer. The NRWA provided great food and refreshments at
all its conference events. In addition, Earl was able to pull
some strings one evening to get us into the historic Monocle
restaurant on Capitol Hill for an excellent high end dinner.
To top off the trip, Mark arranged to have one of Cynthia
Lummis administrative aids give a private tour of the Capitol
Building to my whole family.
Mr. Schultheis Goes to Washington
I can’t encourage everyone enough to submit a water sample
from your system into the Rural Water’s - Water Taste Test
every spring. This is a great opportunity to have someone
from your water system travel to Washington DC and help
support the National Rural Water Association’s (NRWA)
effort to secure more funding from the government. This is
a very unique opportunity and learning experience that very
few people in the industry get to participate in.
I was the lucky recipient of an expense paid trip to Washington
DC in February after winning the best tasting water for the
state of Wyoming in the spring of 2015. The Wyoming
Association of Rural Water Systems (WARWS) sponsored
me to help represent Wyoming at the National Conference
and Great American Water Taste Test.
I took advantage of this opportunity and even brought my
family along to visit and tour our nation’s capital. We were
in Washington DC for three full days. I had a good day
and a half to spend with my family touring the monument,
memorials and museums. The other day and a half was
spent with NRWA conference activities and with WARWS
on Capitol Hill.
Speaking of Capitol Hill, we sure were not in Wyoming
anymore. Just to walk around admiring the huge stone
architecture of all the federal buildings is one thing, but we
were able to actually enter these buildings, travel through
the underground tunnels which connect them, and mix in
with the professionals that work there. This is a very busy
place; luckily I had two great hosts: Mark Pepper and Earl
McKinney with me to lead the way through the hustle and
bustle of our nation’s capital. Mark and Earl have been to
Capitol Hill multiple times through the years and have a
great knowledge of the inner workings and history of our
legislature. With them I had had the honor to meet and speak
with our state senators and our house representative.
All in all, it was a great trip and a great experience. I saw
firsthand how much work and time is involved in securing
government funding for important organizations such as
NRWA. I was very impressed with the whole organization
and everyone involved with it. As a manager of a small
rural water/wastewater system, I feel very lucky to have
been involved with such a large event and I am proud we are
members of WARWS.
Though Wyoming did not bring home the gold in the
Great American Water Taste Test, I feel that it was a great
accomplishment to make it into the top ten considering we
were up against the top water systems in the nation.
Every water system in WARWS has the opportunity to go
to Washington DC; you only have the chance if you submit
a water sample at spring conference. Every system should
submit a sample; maybe someone from your system can
experience Capitol Hill and bring the gold to Wyoming.
Ahren Schultheis, Aspens W&SD, Wilson, WY
We have a problem
In the last connection we discussed Theory X managers in
comparison to Theory Y managers. If you recall, Theory X
managers believe that people need to be closely supervised
and all sorts of systems of controls are developed.
Theory Y managers see their role of supervision more like
being a coach. They believe their job as a boss is to help their
staff achieve their potential. They get the tools for you that
you need to do a good job and then get out of the way and let
you do it. In reality there is no 100% Theory X or Theory
Y manager. It is often dependent on the circumstance and
the individuals being managed. But what happens when you
basically hold theory Y beliefs and you find yourself working
for a Theory X manager. Houston we have a problem here!
The first thing you must realize is you are not going to change
your boss. Nothing you say or do is going to make him or
her believe people are basically good and want to do a great
job. Theory Xer’s believe the average human prefers to be
directed, wishes to avoid responsibility, has little ambition
and wants security. That is what they set out to do with their
staff. If you want to make a Theory X manager happy, and
thus make your own life less stressful, do the job at hand.
Produce. If you can make your X manager look good to
his own management consistently, the reigns that he or she
holds ever so tightly will loosen.
They are not relationship driven. They do not want to be your
friend. They are your boss. Find out what your manager
must produce to receive a great performance appraisal from
his own management and let this guide you for prioritizing
the work that is given you. This is not a simple task. Your
boss is not going to share this information with you. Pay
attention to what he or she thinks is important, and it will
give you some clues. Do not make assumptions, and always
inform your boss at the beginning of the week what you have
on your plate and ask how he/she would like that prioritized.
Stay on time and under budget. They are not going to blame
the system or the work structure if something isn’t going
successfully. They are going to blame you. It is always
the workers fault not the process. Keep your boss informed
about what is and isn’t working and let them make any midcourse corrections they see fit. Do not expect this to be a
team exercise. Do not tell them what you think should be
done. They don’t care! Find out what they want done, and
then do it without complaint to them or coworkers.
Spend your time at work working. That seems like an
intuitively obvious statement, but in this day of social media
and the relationship driven workplace nothing will drive a
Theory X manager crazier, nor prove their world view more
than to walk into your office and find you chatting or not on
task. These are nose to the grindstone sort of managers and
that is exactly where your nose needs to be if you desire not
to have an unsettling incident. Lazy employees do in fact
exist and are a drain on productivity and company resources.
Don’t be one of these critters.
Document everything. I know from experience that Theory
X managers can and will give you direction and if it doesn’t
work will actively deny ever instructing you to take such
action. CYA! At the beginning of each project, write when it
was given you, the instructions you were given, the expected
outcome, and when it is supposed to be completed. This
documentation will help you when you have to push back,
and inevitably that time will come. It may surprise you to
know these managers are often looking for someone to stand
up to them. They want strong-willed workers, and won’t
respect anyone who cowers from reproach. My advice is
they are a bit like a shark – if they smell blood, they will
move in for the kill. Never let anyone deny your basic
humanity. You are not a lowly pet to be scorned.
Remember, you teach people how they are allowed to treat
you. I once stood up to an X manager, told him he didn’t
scare me one twit and his attempts at bullying me was
wasting productive time we could use to get the job done.
From that day forward I never had a bit of trouble with him,
and he even laughed at my jokes. It made the workplace a
much more hospitable environment to get up and go to each
morning.
Try to not take it personally. Just because someone does not
like your work doesn’t make them a toxic leader or a bad
human being. You may not have the whole story of what is
needed or the restraints that your manager is worker under.
Get clear feedback about what needs to be changed and then
do it. Don’t take up the “poor abused worker” argument until
someone really begins attacking you as a person. When that
happens see advice above!
And finally there are times to call it quits. I know that
is particularly difficult thing to do in these challenging
economic times. No job is worth your health or the loss of
your self-respect. Know when to leave. I have been blessed
in my career. In the 30 years that I have done this work I
have only worked for 3 organizations but I keep my resume
updated at all times, try to live under my income so I can
save for a time I might not have a steady paycheck coming
in, and always keep my eye pealed for social networking
opportunities that might lead to opportunities when one is
needed.
Theory X and Theory Y management styles each have their
place. The key is finding a work environment that suit your
worldview and makes work what you want it to be. As in
most everything in life, we get out of any experience what
we put into it. Give it your all, no matter who you may be
working for, and good things will surely follow.
All Time Is NOW:
The Only Time We Have Is NOW
First Americans arrived in Wyoming about 10,000 years ago,
grew and flourished. On the European continent, the Stone
Age ended about 4,000 years ago. In Wyoming the Stone
Age ended about 200 years ago when Western Civilization
arrived in Wyoming and silenced around 1 Million First
Americans in less than 100 years.
The First People saw the Earth, Water, Air, Plants, Animals
and themselves as Human; all equally alive and equally a
part of The Great Spirit. Western Civilization’s people just
saw a big rock with consumable resources.
Today, in Wyoming, we are still on the spear-point of
consuming the Earth’s resources. Today we can see the
end point of that spear. The planet’s weather patterns are
changing; some say due to human activities, others say
natural evolution. Either way we are seeing dramatically
changing weather and water patterns around the globe and
right here in Wyoming.
In Memorial: for my friend, colleague and teacher, Jim Van Dorn
Then a rescue helicopter comes by and they shout down to
the person on the roof, grab the rope and we will save you.
The person answers, no thank you, God will save me.
And the flood gets worse and the person is swept off the roof
and drowns. In heaven the person is angry with God, saying;
“God, I called out to you for help and you abandoned me to
the flood”. And God answers; “Well” he said; “I sent you a
weather report predicting the flood, I sent you a person in a
boat to save you and then I sent you a helicopter to save you,
what more do you need?” “What more do you need?”; is a
fair question.
I wonder what the next folks will say, 200 years from now?
WE, all of us, are the ones writing that story, right now.
WE, all of us, are responsible for our own action, right now.
We, all of us, right now, can make a decision to engage the
problems and seek solutions. Ya, you say, easier said than
done, change is hard. Yes, change is very hard, that is why
it will take ALL of us working together, to both change what
we are doing and to respond to what is happening around us,
right now.
Have you ever heard the parable of “The Frog and the
Pot”?
Take a pot half full of water and put a rock in it that is above
the level of the water in the pot. Put a frog in that pot of
water. Turn up the heat under the pot very slowly. The frog
will just sit in that water, not getting on the rock,……. until
he is ready for our dinner.
And then there is the old religious parable of the person
caught in a flood. That person saw the weather channel
predicting the flood and calls out to God, God save me from
this flood.
The flood comes and the person gets on the roof of the house,
and the flood continues. Then a man in a row boat comes
by and says jump in the boat, I will save you. The person on
the roof says, no thank you, I am waiting for God to save me,
and the flood gets worse.
Göbekli Tepe, Turkey 10,000 BC (oldest known, human
built structure)
Wyoming Community Profile
By Mark Court
Point of Rocks (Almond)
The Oregon Trail was the primary means of travel for
immigrants as they headed westward to Oregon, California
and Utah. This was also the primary stagecoach route,
but continued Indian attacks along the trail prompted the
Stagecoach King Ben Holladay to move the route to a location
that would be less likely to be attacked. This decision would
put the stagecoach route further south along the Overland
trail.
In 1862, the Point of Rocks Stage Station was built along the
banks of Bitter Creek. Since timber was scarce in this high
desert location, the buildings were constructed from native
sandstone with mud mortar cementing the rocks together.
Joseph A. “Jack” Slade was fired by the Central Overland
for drunkenness. The following year, Slade held up the stage
near Point of Rocks, which resulted in the deaths of seven
passengers. Ultimately, Slade’s belligerency caught up with
him on March 10th of 1864 during a drunken spree in Virginia
City, Montana where he was lynched.
Over the years, the station endured at least one Indian
attack, an attempted burning, a robbery and the murder of
stagecoach passengers. The station was a terminal for stage
and freight operations running north to South Pass City and
the Sweetwater gold mines. The Holladay Overland Stage
Company survived until 1868, when it was purchased by
Wells Fargo and Company. In the summer of the same year,
the Union Pacific made its presence known when it reached
Point of Rocks and times began to rapidly change.
In 1877, the Union Pacific section foreman Lawrence Taggert
moved his family into the building. His wife used one of the
rooms as a schoolroom where she served as a teacher for
the community. On February 1884, the United Stated Postal
Service established the “Almond” Post office, appointing
Roman Moffitt as postmaster. The name Almond was short
lived, however. Twenty four years later, on July 31, 1908,
the Almond Post office was renamed Point of Rocks
The Point of Rocks Station became the property of the State
of Wyoming in 1947, and was added to the National Register
of Historic Places on April 3, 1970. Today Point of Rocks is
the proud home of the coal fired Jim Bridger Power Plant.
Point of Rocks is accessible year round. It is approximately
82 miles west of Rawlins and 21 miles east of Rock Springs
on Interstate 80. To see the Point of Rocks State Station
ruins take interstate 80 to exit 130 (Point of Rocks). Take
Sweetwater County Road 84. Go south over the Union
Pacific railroad crossing. The station is approximately one
half mile past the tracks on the right side of the road.
The trio believed by using mounted riders traveling short
routes, rather than the traditional stage coach, they could get
mail from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, CA in ten
days. Many skeptics said it could never be accomplished.
In January and February of 1860, Russell, Majors and
Waddell organized and put together the Pony Express. This
huge undertaking would assemble 120 riders, 184 stations
and included 400 horses with several hundred additional
personnel. That same year, California’s population grew
to 380,000. The Civil War was fast approaching and the
demand for speedy mail delivery and other communications
became essential.
Stories Along the Trails
The Pony Express
Mark Court
It was the third day of April of 1860 when the first Pony
Express mail would leave St. Joseph, Missouri and begin a ten
day trek across the Great Plains, over the Rocky Mountains,
through the alkali Great Basin and over the Sierra Nevada
Range before arriving in Sacramento, California. The Pony
Express was made up of a horse and rider team that would
carry the mail to the first station, then a fresh horse would
carry the mail to the next station. The entire route covered
approximately 1966 miles and span across eight states with
184 stations along the trail. The westbound package arrived
on April 13, 1860; two days before the eastbound package
and would set precedence for the new speedy mail delivery.
The Founding of the Pony Express
On January 24, 1848, gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill in
California by James W. Marshall. People on the west coast
were clamoring about getting rich, but the communication
to the east coast was slow. This would delay the so called
‘49ers” gold rush from the east for another sixteen months.
The population of California would rapidly grow, and on
September 9, 1850, it would enter the Union as the 31st
state. Citizens, businessmen and miners alike put mounting
pressure on their newly elected U.S. Government officials
for faster communication back to the east.
William Russell was a prominent businessman, well respected
by his peers as well as the Community. William Waddell was
the co-owner of the firm Morehead, Waddell & Company. After
Morehead was bought out, Waddell merged his company with
William Russell, changing the name to Waddell & Russell. In
1855, Waddell & Russell became Russell Majors & Waddell
when they joined forces with their new partner Alexander
Majors. The three together held government contracts for
delivering army supplies to the western frontier. Russell
believed similar methods would work for faster mail delivery
for the U.S. Government. By late 1850, Russell, Majors and
Waddell founded the Pony Express.
Alexander Majors was a religious man. He believed all
difficulties and challenges could be overcome with help from
God. Because of this, each rider was presented a special
edition Bible. The riders were also required to sign an oath.
The oath read as follows:
“I, (name), do hereby swear before the Great and Living
God, that during my engagement, and while I am an
employee of Russell, Majors and Waddell, I will, under no
circumstances, use profane language, that I will not drink
intoxicating liquors, that I will not quarrel or fight with any
other employee of the firm, and that in every respect I will
conduct myself honestly, be faithful to my duties, and so
direct all my acts as to win the confidence of my employers,
so help me God.”
-Oath sworn by Pony Express Riders
The initial price was set at $5 per one-half ounce. That price
was reduced to $2.per half ounce and by July 1861 the price
was reduced to $1 per half ounce. The founders of the Pony
Express were hoping to win an exclusive government mail
contract. Unfortunately for Russell, Majors and Waddell,
these contracts never came about.
leaving Julesburg, the route begins in a northwest direction
to the North Platte River and passes by landmarks such as
Courthouse Rock near Bridgeport, Nebraska and Chimney
Rock near Bayard, Nebraska. The trail continues past
Scottsbluff, Nebraska through Torrington, Wyoming before
arriving at Ft. Laramie.
The Operation
In Wyoming, riders would make stops along the way and
eventually at Ft. Caspar, continually following the North
Platte River until they met up with the Sweetwater River,
following the river and landmarks such as Independence
Rock, Devil’s Gate and Split Rock over South Pass to Ft.
Bridger to Bear River Station, Wyoming and entering into
Utah toward Salt Lake City.
The first rider was to leave St. Joseph, Missouri at 5:00 PM
on April, but because of train delays in Chicago, Illinois and
Hannibal, Missouri, the mail arrived late. Once the train
finally arrived in St. Joseph at 7:00 PM, it was rushed to the
Pony Express Station. By 7:15 PM a cannon was fired to
alert everyone that Johnny Fry was on his way toward the
Missouri River. The stations were spread out approximately
10 miles apart along the route because this was roughly the
distance a horse could travel at a gallop before tiring. At
each station stop the express rider would dismount, change
to a fresh horse taking only the mail pouch with him.
The employer stressed the importance of the pouch, so they
often said, “If it came to be, the horse and rider should
perish before the mochila (pouch) did.” The pouch was
thrown over the saddle and held in place by the weight of
the rider. Each corner of the pouch had pockets where the
bundles of mail were held and were padlocked for safety.
The pouch could hold 20 pounds of mail along with 20
pounds of material carried on the horse which included a
water sack, a Bible and a horn for alerting the relay station
master to prepare the next horse, and a revolver.
Riders could not weigh more than 125 pounds. The rider
was changed about every 75 to 100 miles and would ride day
and night. In the event of an emergency, a rider would ride
two stages back to back, over a 20 hour duration.
A rider would receive $100 per month pay. On the same
token, a comparable wage for other unskilled labor jobs at
that time ranged from $.43 to $1 per day. During the winter
months, the riders certainly crossed central Nevada.
The Route
Over the span of approximately 1966 miles, the Pony Express
route roughly followed the Oregon and California Trails to
Ft. Bridger, Wyoming. It then followed the Mormon trail
known as the Hastings Cutoff to Salt Lake City, Utah. From
there, the route followed the Central Nevada Route to Carson
City, Nevada before crossing the Sierra Nevada Mountains
into Sacramento, California.
The route began in St. Joseph, Missouri following the
Missouri River. It then crossed the Missouri River to
Marysville, Kansas where it turned in a northwest direction
along the Little Blue River to Fort Kearny, Nebraska. After
Ft Kearny, the route would follow the Platte River through
Gothenburg, Nebraska. At the confluence were the North
and South Platte Rivers join, the route turned southwest, just
clipping the northeast corner of Colorado at Julesburg. After
The route would continue to Camp Floyd, Utah near Fairfield
to Simpson Springs in Tooele County Utah. Simpson Springs
was the last good water source available before crossing the
Great Basin. After crossing into Nevada, the route generally
followed Central Nevada, along what is known today as US
highway 50. The route then would then travel to Carson
City past Lake Tahoe to Sacramento. Once the riders would
arrive in Sacramento, much of the mail and packages were
placed on a boat and shipped down the Sacramento River to
San Francisco.
The End of the Ride
After all the miles that were ridden, eastbound and westbound,
the Indian attacks, and the many names that went down in
the history books as riders, the days of the Pony Express
would soon come to an end. On June 16, 1860, Congress
authorized a bill instructing the Secretary of Treasury to
subsidize the building of the transcontinental telegraph line
that would connect the west coast to the Missouri River.
This decision became the beginning of the end for the Pony
Express. For a little more than 18 months mail was sent
across the vast wide open spaces between the Missouri River
and the Pacific Ocean so a faster means of communications
could be met.
In the beginning, mail was sent once a week. After June of
1860, it was carried twice a week. By the 26th of October of
1861, the Pony Express was virtually over with the exception
of a few scattered runs that were made in November. Although
the Pony Express is considered to be a financial failure, it did
successfully fill the communication gap before the completion
of the telegraph. The Pony Express demonstrated that a
unified transcontinental system of communication could be
established and operated year round. When replaced by the
telegraph, the Pony Express was romanticized and became
part of the lore of the American West.
Although many Pony Express Stations no longer exist or are
on private land, there are still several that can be seen across
the route, as well as in Wyoming. If you get the chance, stop
by some of the accessible stations along the trail. You might
be surprised what you may see.
Our Western Heritage
So many adventures – so little time
by Kathy Weinsaft
Folks pay big bucks to visit and experience Wyoming. We
are blessed beyond measure. All we have to do is open our
door and we are here. It is the last day of April as I write this
piece, and it is snowing like a son of a gun. It just reminds
me how tragically short our summers are and how many
things there are to do.
Do you have your list yet? Here are a few destinations and
activities you might want to add to yours. These are my “I
have to be on my death bed” to miss list. Several of these
things are in our surrounding states, but that is one of the
beautiful things about living in Wyoming, you can’t go
wrong no matter which direction you go.
We are surrounded by Westerness and beauty no matter
which way we point the car. My first adventure this year
will be in May to southern Utah. It is a totally beautiful
part of the state, but in my mind, has a very short window of
opportunity for getting out and exploring its wonderfulness.
It is either way too hot or way too cold. I have experienced
both of those extremes, and have decided that early May is
the best time for exploration of the National Parks, and the
Colorado River, which are located adjacent to Moab, Utah.
There will be an overnight stop in Midway, Utah at the
Homestead Resort on the way to Moab. Staying here has
been on my bucket list for some time. It has a hot spring in a
crater, and it is large enough to give scuba lessons in the thing.
The resort itself is iconic and has been serving delighted
patrons since 1886. The lodge has been fully restored and
combines that old western feel with a bit of eclecticism and
modernity. I will let you guys and gals know if this place is
as cool as I think it is going to be in a future article.
From Midway we will travel to Moab and hike the National
parks, raft the Colorado and enjoy the very inexpensive out
of the way cabin I found to rent on Trip Advisor. Moab has
so many things to do and see that it is worthy of an article
all unto itself. Suffice it to say, if you haven’t made it there
you need to.
June brings the Annual Crazy Horse Volksmarch in South
Dakota. This is the 31st fall Volksmarch. It covers 6.2
miles of meandering woodland up to the outstretch arm of
the Crazy Horse monument. They have also begun having
a Volksmarch in the fall, but the timing of it is usually in
conflict with our Expo. Spring it is then. These are the
only two times of the year that people are allowed up on the
mountain, and really your life isn’t complete if you haven’t
been able to look right up into the face of this gargantuan
carving. It is the most popular organized walk in America
and attracts about 15,000 hikers twice a year. I know that
sounds like a lot, but I have never felt crowded or even
really noticed the other hikers other than to give and receive
encouragement. It costs nothing to get into the park but
three cans of food which are collected and sent to the Pine
Ridge Indian Reservation. No excuses. Just do it. You will
never regret it.
July is Longmire Days in Buffalo Wyoming. This is a
relatively new event and totally worthy of your destination
list. Buffalo is just a cool and beautiful town to start with,
but add in all the Longmire events and it is over the top.
In five years it has become the biggest event in the Buffalo
summer season and they always have some mighty fine
events even without this one. We can thank Craig Johnson,
local author of the Longmire books and inspiration for the
television series. Yes, even I know about the show so you
know it must be something special. This year’s Longmire
Days are scheduled for July 8th through the 10th and will be
packed full with actors from the show, story telling, crafts
and readings by Craig Johnson. Most events are free, but
you must register for them on line at the Chamber because
of limited seating.
August brings us music festivals. The first weekend in
August is Beartrap up on Casper Mountain. Started in 1994
by the Natrona Country Bridge and Parks department, it has
grown into an event that has become a Wyoming tradition.
This festival features a variety of regional and nationally
known musicians. I have seen the likes of Ricky Scaggs,
Earl Scruggs, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Taj Mahal
headline the event. There is also a market place chocked full
of local artisans and crafters and a food court with some very
unique treats to guzzle and eat. Bring your sun umbrella, a
comfy lawn chair and some money. This festival is no longer
cheap, but usually worth the money. If you would like the
music but with a few less people and a little less damage to
your wallet, consider the “No Woodstock” music festival in
Ten Sleep Wyoming. This year’s festival is August 12-14th
in Vista Park. Ten Sleep native and banjo picker songwriter
extraordinaire, Jalan Crossland, always gives a dynamite
performance. It is non-stop music in a laid back and family
friendly environment. There are also some really wonderful
places to camp in the area, so grab your tent and head that
way.
One of the things I am trying to learn and convince myself
of is that you can’t dance every dance but I sure can make it
to these events, and I hope I see you folks at some of them as
well. Get out and enjoy where we live this summer!
It is, after all, part our western heritage
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