Thoughts from the Trail: Day 3 - Solve Problems. Protect Taxpayers.

Jul 19

2 min read

I believe government should solve problems the same way Wyoming families and businesses do: use common sense, make the most of what you have, and be accountable for every dollar you spend.\

Here's what that looks like.

By 2011, Bell Nob Golf Course was spending more than $350,000 every year on treated drinking water just to irrigate grass. That wasn't sustainable, and it wasn't the best use of taxpayer dollars.

We already had two wells on the property. The problem was that neither one produced usable irrigation water on its own. One didn't have enough calcium. The other had too much.

Most people saw two bad wells. I saw an opportunity.

Instead of looking for an expensive new solution, we asked a simple question: What if we mixed them together?

In 2012, Campbell County built a 154-acre-foot reservoir to blend water from both wells into a dependable irrigation supply.

The results speak for themselves.

Irrigation water costs dropped from $4.23 to $1.30 per 1,000 gallons.
Campbell County taxpayers have saved more than $1 million.
Nearly 90 million gallons of treated drinking water were preserved for homes, families, and future growth.
Irrigated acreage was reduced from 120 acres to 110 acres, cutting water use even further.

Today, those fairways are irrigated with blended well water, while our treated drinking water stays where it belongs in our homes, our schools, our businesses, and our communities.

The project became a national case study published by the United States Golf Association, and I was honored to be named a finalist for the 2018 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award.

But the recognition isn't what matters most.

What matters is proving that good leadership isn't about spending more money or cutting essential services. It's about asking better questions, finding practical solutions, and delivering better results.

That's the mindset I'll take to the Wyoming Senate: protect taxpayers, respect every dollar, and solve problems with common sense instead of politics.

Dwayne Dillinger