With state and federal grants and loans secured, the Town of Crawford is set to begin a long-awaited rehabilitation of Wiley Springs — the community’s sole source of water. The work will start in September October (NOTE: the project timeline has shifted back one month, since the recording of this audio) and bring with it water restrictions for residents and other town water users.
Bruce Bair has been Crawford’s Public Works Director for 24 years. “We are experiencing diminished flows,” he said. “So I know that we’re losing water that we could recapture if we replace that old infrastructure.”
The springs, located on the edge of the West Elks, feed into an infiltration gallery that collects water, sends it to town, where it is treated, and stored in tanks. “The spring itself, the collection system, the water gathering system, has not been touched in over 60 years, or at least close to 60 years,” Bair said. “And it is in severe need of replacement for a couple of different reasons. The main reason is the infrastructure was never intended to be in the ground for that long. The second reason is because of the drought conditions that not just this area, but pretty much the whole Western United States has been seeing for over 20 years.”
Because the project will require shutting off the spring, the town will depend entirely on stored water for five to seven days. “When it’s full, will have over 450,000 gallons of water,” Bair said. “And that water should last us 7–10 days if people are conscious of how they’re using that water and conserve it.”
The town’s water collection ability will be reduced not just for the 7-10 days ofthe spring shut-down, for 2-3 weeks after as well. Accordingly, Bair will implement conservation efforts before construction begins. “Part of that reason is I want those conservation efforts to go into effect early, prior to the start of construction so that when we enter the construction stage, our tanks are full.”
During the first week, “there will be no outdoor watering,” Bair said. He urged residents to conserve throughout the project, which could take two to three weeks before the spring is fully restored. “I’m hoping at least 30 percent” more water will be captured once the work is done.
