County Supervisors authorize bid invitation for fire protection project - Arizona Silver Belt
During their March 21 meeting the Gila County Board of Supervisors moved ahead on a wildfire protection project, voting unanimously to authorize an advertisement of invitation for bids to transport and install 56 5,000-gallon water storage tanks.
When a contract is awarded, the tanks will be delivered to 14 county-owned sites in northern Gila County, where they will replace dilapidated tanks and old water bladders. These bladders have been in place for about 15 years, and during a December 2022 Board of Supervisors work session, County Emergency Manager Carl Melford explained the need to replace them.
"The bladders are not surviving the test of time well, unfortunately," said Melford. "The sun is not their friend, and vandalism has been an issue." Wildlife has also had an impact; Melford noted that elk tracks were found on one severely damaged bladder. Others have undergone multiple repairs – for instance, the 50,000-gallon bladder at Beaver Valley Pit Tank has been fixed 25 times.
Helping fund the bladder replacement project is $609,000 in Congressionally directed earmark monies that were awarded to Gila County on March 15, 2022, through U.S. Senator Mark Kelly's office.
When awarded, the funds went to the U.S. Forest Service for disbursement to the county. To receive the funds, the county was required to apply for a Forest Service grant that includes a 1:1 match requirement from the county, for a total of $1.218 million. The county's $609,000 match can be financial, in-kind activities or a combination of both. The award expires in September 2025.
"This funding will assist in fighting fires early, saving on response and recovery costs," County staff reported.
"I think that if we do this right, this will be a model for Arizona and the nation," said Supervisor Steve Christensen.
In the work session, Supervisor Tim Humphrey said he would like to work with the Forest Service or Gila County Cattle Growers Association to install some drinkers for wildlife or livestock. "I would just like to see us get more use out of this water and the money spent for it, for the betterment of wildlife or cattle, not just for fires," he said.
"The concern right now is that the bladders don't contain just pure water; there's chlorine and often bleach in them," Melford replied. "I talked with the Game and Fish Department and they were concerned about animals having access to that, but I would like to explore some options."
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