Glendo, Wyoming
Written by Victor Spencer, EFC Region 8 Category 2 Specialist
The Town of Glendo is located in southeast Wyoming and serves as the gateway to Glendo State Park, one of Wyoming's most popular outdoor recreation destinations. Incorporated in 1922, the community has a year-round population of approximately 205 residents and operates a municipal water system serving approximately 165 taps, including residential customers, trailer courts, and commercial facilities. Like many small rural systems, Glendo faces the ongoing challenge of maintaining aging infrastructure while ensuring regulatory compliance, operational resiliency, and long-term financial sustainability.
The Town of Glendo identified several significant challenges affecting the sustainability of its water system. The existing Downey Well House had documented sanitary deficiencies identified during the 2024 Sanitary Survey, creating concerns related to source water protection and regulatory compliance. At the same time, the community's aging water meters had become increasingly unreliable. Many meters were no longer functioning properly, resulting in partial flat-rate billing, inaccurate revenue collection, and limited ability to measure water usage or identify system water loss. The Town also lacked a dependable primary production meter, making portions of required State Engineer reporting estimates rather than measured values. These issues became increasingly important as the town operated under drought conditions and water rights administration requirements within the North Platte River Basin, where accurate water measurement and reporting are essential. In addition to infrastructure concerns, the Town recognized the importance of strengthening long-term operational capacity and succession planning to ensure continued system reliability in the future.
WARWS staff worked closely with the Mayor, Clerk/Treasurer, operator, and governing body to evaluate system needs, identify funding opportunities, and develop a practical long-term strategy for system sustainability. The IUP submittal was successful. Glendo ranked #1 on the IUP for funding. A full application is now underway with the technical assistance of Rural Water Staff. It is anticipated that this application will be submitted in July of 2026.
The Downey Well House will be fully replaced to correct sanitary deficiencies identified in the 2024 Sanitary Survey. The new structure will provide proper source protection and address identified sanitary deficiencies. Bids are currently being solicited and will be reviewed with TA provided by Rural Water Staff. Meters have been selected. Work will continue on the full SRF application and Rural Water staff will assist in its preparation and will assist in the community's preparation for presenting the application to the State Land Investment Board at its April 2027 meeting. This is the only meeting that is reserved for systems asking for principal forgiveness. The proposed project includes: These improvements will significantly improve system measurement accuracy, water accountability, billing accuracy, regulatory reporting capabilities, and long-term system management. Replacement of the Downey Well House will address sanitary deficiencies and improve source water protection and system reliability.
The Town of Glendo's challenges extended beyond aging infrastructure. The community also faced operational capacity concerns, drought-related reporting requirements, aging meters that limited accurate water accountability, and the need to strengthen long-term system sustainability. WARWS technical assistance helped the Town connect infrastructure planning, regulatory compliance, financial sustainability, and capacity development into a coordinated strategy. Assistance extended beyond funding application support and included ongoing relationship-based technical assistance focused on long-term sustainability and resiliency.
The Town of Glendo's challenges extended beyond aging infrastructure. The community also faced operational capacity concerns, drought-related reporting requirements, aging meters that limited accurate water accountability, and the need to strengthen long-term system sustainability. WARWS technical assistance helped the Town connect infrastructure planning, regulatory compliance, financial sustainability, and capacity development into a coordinated strategy. Assistance extended beyond funding application support and included ongoing relationship-based technical assistance focused on long-term sustainability and resiliency. The project also highlights the importance of workforce development and succession planning in small rural systems. Glendo is actively working to expand operator coverage and support additional staff pursuing operator certification while continuing to support existing operations personnel. Replacement of aging meters and installation of a primary production meter will improve the Town's ability to measure water usage, identify water loss, improve billing accuracy, and support future asset management efforts. The proposed improvements will also improve regulatory compliance, operational resiliency, and long-term financial sustainability. This effort demonstrates how collaborative, relationship-based technical assistance can help small rural communities position themselves for successful infrastructure investment while building the operational and managerial capacity necessary for long-term sustainability. Community engagement remains one of Glendo's greatest strengths. Even Scout, Glendo's well-known and beloved ‘town dog,' supervised portions of the planning meetings as the Town worked collaboratively toward long-term system improvements.