City of Pocatello

Introduction
The mission of the City of Pocatello Water Department is to provide an uninterrupted supply of safe, clean water 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and the employees who work in the Water Department take that mission very seriously. The Water Department serves approximately 16,200 customers within the City limits and in portions of Bannock County. The Water Department personnel are responsible for operating and maintaining 263 miles of water pipe ranging in size from ½-inch diameter water services to 24-inch diameter water transmission mains. In addition, Department personnel operate and maintain 21 water supply wells, 10 water storage tanks, 7 booster pumping stations and 42 pressure reducing valves. These facilities are located throughout the Department service area, and supply over 5.5 billion gallons of water per year to the Department’s customers. Top

Water Superintendent's Office
The City employees working in the Water Superintendent’s Office coordinate and supervise the Department’s day-to-day activities. Their responsibilities include: responding to customer inquiries; preparing, implementing and tracking the Department’s capital and operating budgets; maintaining and updating water system maps and records; planning and coordinating infrastructure expansion and replacement; ensuring that the Department meets or exceeds all federal, State and local rules and regulations; enforcing department standards and specifications; and making sure that the water is safe to drink. Top

Transmission & Distribution
The Water Department has an aggressive and ongoing main replacement program that is performed in-house by the Transmission and Distribution (T&D) crews. Approximately half of the water distribution mains in Pocatello are over 50 years old and are made primarily of cast iron and steel pipe. The water industry considers 50 years as the useful life of water pipe, especially these types of pipe. The T&D crews replace existing mains by installing new mains parallel to the existing mains, connecting existing services to the new mains and abandoning the old mains in place. The T&D crews work closely with the Street Department to coordinate pavement restoration after the new mains are installed, tested and placed into service. In addition to main replacements, the T&D crews repair leaks and assist in carrying out the annual flushing program and valve maintenance program. Top

Plumbing Crews
The primary responsibility of the plumbing crews is to respond to customer service calls as they are received by the Water Department dispatcher. The crews also detect and repair fire hydrant and service line leaks, install and repair water meters, mark the locations of mains and services in anticipation of underground construction, and assist in the annual flushing program and valve maintenance program. Top

Pump, Purification and Storage Crew
The Pump, Purification and Storage Crew is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the City’s water supply wells, booster pumping stations, storage tanks and pressure reducing valves. They are charged with visiting each facility once a day and performing routine maintenance and repairs as needed. The crew also pulls deep well pumps and motors for inspection and repair using in-house expertise. In addition, the crew takes all water quality samples to make sure the water that the Water Department delivers to its customers is safe to drink and meets all federal, State and local drinking water requirements. Top

History
The City of Pocatello Water Department started out as a private water company that began serving water to the residents of Pocatello in 1891. For an informative history of the ups and downs of this public water supply, go to the Portneuf Valley Groundwater Guardian web site at www.portneufgroundwater.org, click on “Stuff for Kids” and then click on “Pocatello H2O Supply History.”

You may contact the water department by email at jorr@pocatello.us or by phone at (208) 234-6180. Top