Keeping a Geyser on Time: Rust Automation helps restore Soda Springs Icon.
Testing the new valve setup at the site. (Left to right: Gordon Sanderson, Esteban Cardenas, Dan Squires, and Howard Hawkins)
Soda Springs, ID — September 2025 — Rust Automation & Controls recently partnered with the City of Soda Springs, Idaho, to restore its world-famous captive geyser — a one-of-a-kind natural wonder that has fascinated visitors for nearly a century.
The Soda Springs Geyser has a remarkable history. In 1937, local drillers searching for hot water struck a carbon dioxide gas chamber roughly 315 feet underground. The resulting eruption sent hot water over 70 feet into the air, quickly becoming a celebrated attraction. Today, it remains the only captive geyser in the world (City of Soda Springs, Geyser Park).
To manage the geyser safely, the city installed a timed valve system shortly after its discovery, allowing eruptions every hour on the hour. This dependable schedule helped protect local safety and transformed the geyser into a family-friendly destination.
Over time, however, the original valve system began to fail, causing unpredictable eruptions and threatening local tourism. Rust Automation was called in to engineer a solution.
Esteban Cardenas (Pocatello, ID) and Gordon Sanderson (Springville, UT) designed and supplied a custom actuated valve system capable of withstanding extreme geothermal conditions. The new system features a corrosion-resistant valve body by TrimTeck and an electric actuator from USI Technologies, ensuring reliability and balance within the underground pressure system.
Since installation, the Soda Springs Geyser has returned to its consistent eruption schedule — preserving both a natural treasure and a key driver of local tourism.
The Soda Springs Geyser has a remarkable history. In 1937, local drillers searching for hot water struck a carbon dioxide gas chamber roughly 315 feet underground. The resulting eruption sent hot water over 70 feet into the air, quickly becoming a celebrated attraction. Today, it remains the only captive geyser in the world (City of Soda Springs, Geyser Park).
To manage the geyser safely, the city installed a timed valve system shortly after its discovery, allowing eruptions every hour on the hour. This dependable schedule helped protect local safety and transformed the geyser into a family-friendly destination.
Over time, however, the original valve system began to fail, causing unpredictable eruptions and threatening local tourism. Rust Automation was called in to engineer a solution.
Esteban Cardenas (Pocatello, ID) and Gordon Sanderson (Springville, UT) designed and supplied a custom actuated valve system capable of withstanding extreme geothermal conditions. The new system features a corrosion-resistant valve body by TrimTeck and an electric actuator from USI Technologies, ensuring reliability and balance within the underground pressure system.
Since installation, the Soda Springs Geyser has returned to its consistent eruption schedule — preserving both a natural treasure and a key driver of local tourism.
Esteban Cardenasa said that this opportunity was special for him. Being from the area, he remembers traveling to Soda Springs for baseball tournaments as a kid. After the games, as a team, they would always stop by to watch the geyser erupt.
"After all these years, to be able to take part in providing a solution that will last for many more years to come was a very special moment for me personally".
"After all these years, to be able to take part in providing a solution that will last for many more years to come was a very special moment for me personally".
Custom actuated valve system capable of
withstanding extreme geothermal conditions.
With a few details missing, we calculated back
pressure, torque, and flow to dial in the perfect setup.
withstanding extreme geothermal conditions.
With a few details missing, we calculated back
pressure, torque, and flow to dial in the perfect setup.