DOE and Northern Arapaho Tribe complete upgrades to Riverton alternate water supply system
April 06, 2026 | Office of Scientific and Technical Information, Office of Science, Department of Energy (DOE), Executive, Federal
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The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Legacy Management announced that upgrades to the Riverton alternate water supply system (AWSS) were completed in 2025, strengthening potable water service for homes and businesses near the former Riverton processing site. An agency official said DOE and the Northern Arapaho Tribe partnered on engineering, construction and community outreach to finish the construction phase ahead of schedule.
The AWSS was funded by DOE in 1998 to provide drinking water within the institutional control boundary while minimizing use of groundwater affected by past milling operations. The Riverton processing site operated as a uranium and vanadium ore mill from 1958 to 1963; a tailings pile once covered about 72 acres. DOE said remediation in 1988-89 removed roughly 1.8 million cubic yards of tailings and associated materials to the Gas Hills East, Wyoming, Disposal Site about 50 miles east of Riverton.
DOE's presenter told listeners that only the surficial (unconfined) aquifer under the former mill site has been contaminated by past milling operations. A 2018 condition assessment of the AWSS identified aging infrastructure and recommended replacing hydrants and valves and addressing sections of pipe not rated for observed surge pressures. To address those problems, the upgrade work replaced about two miles of the system's 11-mile pipeline in higher-pressure areas, updated the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system to improve monitoring and control, and added corrosion protections for ductile iron components that initially lacked coatings or cathodic protection.
As part of the 2022 2025 project, DOE funded replacement of the well pump in each of the three source wells that supply the AWSS and conducted well production analyses to confirm pumps were set at appropriate depths to meet demand. The agency said these measures, together with engineering design and maintenance improvements, were intended to improve reliability and reduce maintenance burdens.
The agency official described outreach to residents during planned shutoffs, a community meeting and coordinated construction efforts as part of a Tribal-to-federal relationship that kept the community informed. The agency confirmed the AWSS is owned, operated and maintained by the Northern Arapaho Tribe and said DOE remains committed to continued partnership.
The work is described as complete for the construction phase; operation and maintenance are the responsibility of the Northern Arapaho Tribe going forward, and DOE said it will continue collaboration to support the system.
The AWSS was funded by DOE in 1998 to provide drinking water within the institutional control boundary while minimizing use of groundwater affected by past milling operations. The Riverton processing site operated as a uranium and vanadium ore mill from 1958 to 1963; a tailings pile once covered about 72 acres. DOE said remediation in 1988-89 removed roughly 1.8 million cubic yards of tailings and associated materials to the Gas Hills East, Wyoming, Disposal Site about 50 miles east of Riverton.
DOE's presenter told listeners that only the surficial (unconfined) aquifer under the former mill site has been contaminated by past milling operations. A 2018 condition assessment of the AWSS identified aging infrastructure and recommended replacing hydrants and valves and addressing sections of pipe not rated for observed surge pressures. To address those problems, the upgrade work replaced about two miles of the system's 11-mile pipeline in higher-pressure areas, updated the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system to improve monitoring and control, and added corrosion protections for ductile iron components that initially lacked coatings or cathodic protection.
As part of the 2022 2025 project, DOE funded replacement of the well pump in each of the three source wells that supply the AWSS and conducted well production analyses to confirm pumps were set at appropriate depths to meet demand. The agency said these measures, together with engineering design and maintenance improvements, were intended to improve reliability and reduce maintenance burdens.
The agency official described outreach to residents during planned shutoffs, a community meeting and coordinated construction efforts as part of a Tribal-to-federal relationship that kept the community informed. The agency confirmed the AWSS is owned, operated and maintained by the Northern Arapaho Tribe and said DOE remains committed to continued partnership.
The work is described as complete for the construction phase; operation and maintenance are the responsibility of the Northern Arapaho Tribe going forward, and DOE said it will continue collaboration to support the system.
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