HMU water distribution improvements will increase Harlan’s water supply

 HARLAN — The first municipal water well in Harlan was completed in the spring of 1880, less than a year after the city was incorporated. In 1891, an election approved a local light plant and water works in Harlan. Now, over 130 years later, Harlan Municipal Utilities (HMU) is making improvements to meet the water supply needs of growing city demand.
 In 2023, HMU began a wellfield project, which consisted of replacing all the raw water mains, electrical, and internal controls. A fiber optic communication line was also installed to the wells. The fiber installation makes it possible for the wells to run off Variable Frequency Drives (VFD), which means the motors automatically speed up or slow down depending on water flow needs.
 “It all makes the wells run efficiently,” said Donald Cote, HMU Water Superintendent.
 Consistently dry weather conditions stress the importance of having more than one water source, therefore, HMU has recently drilled three new alluvial aquifer wells and is currently drilling a deep well, which will connect to the Dakota Aquifer. The Dakota Aquifer system extends across much of the central North American continent from approximately the Arctic Circle in Canada to northeastern New Mexico and the Oklahoma panhandle, and from the Rocky Mountains to western Iowa and Minnesota.
 The deep well will be 315 feet deep and will supply up to 800 gallons of water per minute. “This is a substantial increase in water production when comparing to Alluvial wells which are only 30-40 feet deep and supply 110 gallons per minute”, Cote said.
 Joe Rueschenberg, Chief Executive Officer of HMU said the addition of the deep well makes the city more drought resistant. “We don’t want to have to go into a water watch,” Rueschenberg said. In the summer of 2023, a water watch was in effect from July 25 through September 30 because the existing wells were at the lowest recorded level since the early 2000’s.
 The three new alluvial wells, once online, assisted with maintaining raw water capacity which prevented the need to enact a water watch this summer. Once the new deep well is online at the end of December, or first part of January, HMU will not have any issues with water capacity. In fact, the new water plant will be able to produce treated water at its design capacity of 1,320 gallons per minute by operating both Reverse Osmosis(RO) units. Low production of the existing wells, mainly due to the drought, have only allowed the operation of one RO unit at a time with a production rate of 660 gallons per minute of treated water. The new wells and system improvements allow for additional capacity for any future growth of the City, including housing or commercial/industrial growth.
 Harlan’s 12th Street water tower was recently shut down so it could be drained, and the inside sandblasted to bare metal. Pitting and other damage were repaired, the inside was repainted, and the project will be completed before the end of November.
 HMU currently has 2,489 water meters, and Rueschenberg said they will continue to focus on the future for further growth of the City of Harlan.
    “Replacing the distribution system will be our next major project,” he said. This will encompass planning, engineering design and construction. HMU will concentrate on applying for grant funding to help offset the cost. Construction would not likely occur for close to 10 years into the future for the first phase of water main replacement.
 Editor’s Note: This article is the third in a series of articles highlighting each of HMU’s departments and recent improvements.