The Pagosa Springs Sanitation General Improvement District (PSSGID) is now in stable but cautious condition due to the late Monday afternoon failure of one of the pumps at Pump Station #2. This is on top of the failure of the first pump in April due to a lightning strike at the same location.
The PSSGID generally serves businesses and residents in the town and surrounding properties east of Piedra Road. View a map of the service area online at www.pagosasprings.co.gov/
Over the past two nights, town staff have been on-site at the station to manually override the system to ensure continuity of pumping operations, but only at 50 to 60 percent of its normal capacity. On Tuesday, staff and contractors were working to “transplant” one of the two wet pumps from Pump Station #1 to Pump Station #2. As of 2:15 a.m. Wednesday, the transplant was successful, but the system currently does not have redundancy until replacement pumps arrive, hopefully next week.
We thank you for your conservation efforts, which helped prevent an overflow.
You may now resume basic home and business water use, but please limit large projects that may strain the system.
The transplant process involved securing a crane large enough to lift and lower the wet pumps into the bottom of the wet well. Staff is in the process of acquiring a crane and a bypass pump for future needs. Additionally, after the first wet pump failed in April, the PSSGID placed a rush order for two new pumps — one to replace the failed pump and another to have as a spare. As of Tuesday, the pump supplier has ramped up its production schedule due to Pump Station #2’s condition.
Pump Station #2 conveys sewer effluent from Pump Station #1 at the south end of Yamaguchi Park to the Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District (PAWSD) Vista Wastewater Treatment Plant, approximately 7.5 miles away, and with an approximate 500-foot elevation change.
Monday’s event underscores the fragile nature of the PSSGID conveyance system and the need for repairs and upgrades to the system. Tonight, Wednesday, June 18, is the third installment of the “Saving our Sewers” community meetings at 6 p.m. at the Ross Aragon Community Center. We encourage our community to come and learn about the challenges we face regarding our collection system, conveyance system, future treatment options and potential future funding options.
Additional meetings are scheduled for July 14, 15, and 16.
The PSSGID is a special district created by the town in 1971 to oversee the day-to-day operations and maintenance of the town’s sanitary sewer infrastructure. A map of the PSSGID and an overview of the challenges and potential funding options the town is considering to update the system may be found at www.pagosasprings.co.gov/
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