Resiliency and Capacity Improvements Planned for Pasquale

The City of Salida’s Public Works Department has a mission to maintain, improve, and provide a high level of services for public streets, drinking water, sanitary sewer and stormwater infrastructure. The department supports this mission through long-range planning, capital planning, capital project execution, customer service and ongoing maintenance activities.

In support of the department’s mission, a portion of the City’s 2022 budget will be used to pay for improvements at the Pasquale Water Treatment Plant. To offset rising construction costs, the City received a $700,000 grant from the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) as part of their Energy/Mineral Impact Assistance Fund (EIAF). The EIAF Program helps fund projects that promote sustainable community development, increase livability and resilience of communities through strategic investments.

Improvements at the Pasquale Water Treatment Plant include replacing aging equipment, storage, and pumping systems as well as add resiliency to the water system in the event of a disruption at the surface water treatment plant. Surface water treatment plants have had multiple disruptions across the state in recent years due to flooding, fire danger, and other events.

Additionally, the project will expand capacity at the site and allows the City to utilize its full water rights, which nearly double capacity from approximately 1 million gallons per day to 2 million gallons per day.

These improvements will ensure that the nearly 6,500 utility customers continue to receive reliable, high-quality services and the 800,000 gallons to 3 million gallons of water treated daily is clean and exceeds state and federal water quality standards.  

The project’s total budget is set at approximately $3.4 million, with $3 million reserved for the construction contract and $400,000 for contingency, construction management and materials testing. Construction is expected to begin in September and be completed in 2024