Photo courtesy At the Round Valley Tank site, this 10,000-gallon water bladder has been repaired four or five times.
At its March 21 meeting, the Gila County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an advertising invitation to bid to advance the wildfire protection project and transport and install 56 5,000-gallon water storage tanks.
Once the contract is signed, the tanks will be delivered to 14 county-owned sites in northern Gila County, where the aging tanks and old water bladders will be replaced. These bladders have been in place for about 15 years and during a December 2022 oversight board work session, county emergency manager Carl Melford explained they needed to be replaced.
“Unfortunately, the bladder doesn’t stand the test of time very well,” said Melford. “The sun is not on their side and vandalism is a problem.” Wildlife is also having an impact. Melford noted that elk paw prints were found in one of his badly damaged bladders. His 50,000 gallon bladder in the Beaver Valley pit tank has been repaired 25 times.
Funding for the bladder replacement project is $609,000, a congressionally directed ear tag awarded to Gila County through the office of US Senator Mark Kelly on March 15, 2022.
Once awarded, the funds were sent to the U.S. Forest Service for payment to counties. To receive funding, the county had to apply for a total of $1.218 million in Forest Service grants, including a one-to-one matching requirement from the county. The county’s $609,000 match could be a monetary, in-kind AC.activity or a combination of both. Offer expires September 2025.
“This funding will help fight the fire early and save money on response and restoration,” reported county staff.
Supervisor Steve Christensen said, “I think this will be a model for Arizona and the country if we do it right.
During a work session, supervisor Tim Humphrey said he would like to work with the Forest Service or the Gila County Cattle Producers Association to install a drinker for wildlife or livestock. I would love to be able to put more money to good use for wildlife and livestock improvements, not just for fires,” he said.
“The current concern is that the bladder doesn’t just contain pure water. It contains chlorine and often bleach,” Melford said. I answered. “I have spoken with the game and fish department and they were concerned about animals having access to it, but would like to explore some options.”
