City of Gillette

Water System Improvements | Gillette, WY

Wyoming may not be known for its population density, but with surges in several mining industries in the state over the past 20 years, many communities have grown. One of these is Gillette, the fourth largest city in Wyoming, which has seen its population increase by more than 50 percent since 2000.

This influx obviously created the need for expanded infrastructure. Since 2012, West Plains Engineering has worked with civil engineer DOWL to supported the City of Gillette on more than $2.5 million in water system upgrades to support the community growth. This relationship began with comprehensive Level I and Level II feasibility studies of the existing system, which identified and prioritized improvements. to the southwest part of the city as Phase 1.

Our initial focus was on the southwest part of the city. This $2.3 million phase included new booster pump stations and control valve buildings. The booster pumps and a backup generator were also designed with a new Adjustable Frequency Drive. In addition to HVAC, domestic plumbing, and conventional power and lighting systems, the project also featured upgrades and expansion of the existing SCADA system, which utilizes both landline and radio communication links.

Since then, we have added a new booster pump station in the city’s Pineview Subdivision, and two new water control buildings in the Stone Gate subdivision. We also designed another water control building and executed Phase 4 of the planned system improvements.