Mayor's Corner

Something to think about when you turn on your water faucet…..

Thompson Falls city water system is part of the original water system built for the railroad in the late 1800’s with significant updates completed in the 1930’s and 1940’s. The city has owned and operated this system since 1936. Our current system provides service to almost 750 users and provides basic domestic water service, irrigation service and partial fire protection.

The city’s water supply system consists of a spring supply source (Ashley Creek watershed), two operating water wells, two concrete storage reservoirs, transmission mains and the distribution system. A Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) in 2005 showed the existing water supply had adequate capacity to serve the community through 2025. (This projection was based on the service at that time being about 625 users. This is about 16% higher than was projected in the PER in 2005.) The main focus in the last 10 years has been main replacement to reduce leakage, and replacement of the main connection between the two storage tanks which had rocks in it that impeded flow.

So here we are March 2024:

The USFS is in the process of taking comments for their 2024 Forest Plan. As Ashley Creek Watershed lies within USFS Boundaries, it is important to the City of Thompson Falls that the Forest Service continues to manage and protect the quality and quantity of our water supply.

While there have been significant upgrades to the system over the years, we are faced with an inadequate water supply and distribution system. An additional 500 gallons per minute of source capacity is needed to meet DEQ requirements. The city’s distribution system consists of many undersized and leaking water mains, and some sections of dead ends.

This next phase is to address supply and storage to meet requirements and mains that are old, leak and are not able to meet needed fire flows. The city has been operating under an exemption for storage; this project was needed to correct that.

The Thompson Falls Water Supply, Storage and Distribution Improvements Project is in the final Planning and Design phase - estimated complete July 2024, Bidding phase to be completed by October 2024, Construction completed by October 2025.

I’ll keep you updated and as always, please call if you have comments or questions.

**A portion of this column quotes information from the Capital Improvements Plan, February

2020.