“We’re ready to go,” Hardin said Tuesday of the project. For May and June, the cost of hauling the water, which is being done by Action Sanitary of Lower Lake, Calif., is projected at nearly $400,000 while the cost of buying water from the city of Chiloquin is more than $37,000.

Testing the waters

Hardin said it’s been a multi-step process to provide the park with water. The two tanker-trucks hauling water from Chiloquin were tested Friday to ensure there is no harmful bacteria. After Friday’s negative results, a second test was done Monday to verify the new tanks at the park were bacteria free.

“We worked hard to get the tank farm set up, plumbed and water delivered to the tanks,” Hardin said. “There were many hurdles to overcome to make this happen. There were multiple steps to ensure that the water is safe for our consumption.”

The park needs an alternative water source because of the Klamath Tribes’ call on water earlier this month. Annie Creek, which normally supplies the park’s water, is a tributary of the Wood River and Upper Klamath Lake watershed affected by the call.

Because of previous water shortage concerns, park officials began efforts in 2013 to develop a well and system for an alternative source of water. By this fall, water from a new, previously drilled park well will be transferred to water storage tanks. Because of this winter’s heavy snow — the park has received more than 570 inches of snow this winter — digging a permanent pipeline between the well and holding tanks cannot be immediately done.

“We do have a contract in place to put our well online this summer,” Hardin said. “We are working with this contractor on installing a temporary tank, generator and overland piping from the well to Annie Creek pump house. We hope to have this in process by the end of June.”

Over land, snow

Hardin and Marsha McCabe, the park’s public affairs officer, said the temporary overland piping will be laid across the snow from the well to the treatment pump house until the permanent line can be buried.

McCabe and Hardin emphasized the water, being taken from Chiloquin fire hydrants, is potable water. Chiloquin does not chlorinate its water, something the park is required to do by National Park Service regulations.

The water hauling and testing process began Friday after plumbing for the temporary tanks was completed. Each of the two water trucks deposited 6,000 gallons of water in two tanks. Samples from both trucks were taken to check for harmful bacteria, with both being negative. On Saturday, after the four temporary tanks were filled with 20,000 gallons of water, chlorine was added to kill any harmful bacteria. After waiting 24 hours to complete the “shocking,” the tanks were emptied. On Monday, the tanks were refilled with 20,000 gallons of water and final bacteria tests were done.

During the trucking, the two trucks will transport water from Chiloquin to the park’s temporary water tanks. The water will go through the park’s water treatment pump house.

Tank system

McCabe said the park typically uses about 36,000 gallons a day in May with use increasing as summer visitation spikes, especially in July and August.

Hardin said the park has three permanent tanks with about 500,000 gallons of total storage. She said the water comes in at the Annie Springs pump house and is pumped to the Mazama Tank and the Munson Tank. Water from the Munson Tank is pumped up to the Garfield Tank. The Mazama Tank supplies the Annie Creek Restaurant, Mazama Campground, Mazama Cabins and Xanterra dorms. The Munson Tank at park headquarters supplies Park Service housing and headquarters buildings. The Garfield Tank supplies the Rim Village area.