The Auburn Board of Public Works continues to make steady progress on the Long’s Creek Water Expansion Project, an effort aimed at strengthening the city’s water supply during periods of high demand to help avoid drought contingency and mandatory use restriction.
General Manager Ray Luhring reported that the board is currently working with a contractor to construct a concrete pad for a temporary water treatment unit. Installation of the unit is anticipated around mid-March, once site preparation is complete. Recent dirt work has raised the foundation approximately two feet, a step Luhring said was taken to ensure the equipment will remain safely above the floodplain during high water events.
Once the West Tech temporary treatment plant is in place and required water testing is completed, the expansion is expected to add an additional 300 to 700 gallons per minute to Auburn’s overall water supply. Luhring noted that the Auburn BPW is approved to pump approximately 48 million gallons per year from Long’s Creek, and the withdrawal will have no anticipated negative impact on the creek’s ecology.
