Council presses water‑supply risks, asks staff to prioritize secondary source in Element 6 update
Summary
Council members said Preston’s single spring source is a vulnerability and urged elevating Element 6 in the comprehensive plan to pursue redundancy, examine purchasing water rights, and study consumptive‑use conversions raised by state officials.
Councilors flagged the city’s reliance on a single spring and urged elevating Element 6 (natural resources/water) in the comprehensive plan. Brent Dodge said the priority is protecting current residents by creating redundancy: "I've never had advice that you should put all of your eggs in one basket," he said, arguing a second municipal source is an emergency safeguard rather than an immediate growth strategy.
Council members recalled state officials’ advice during the 'Capital for a Day' visit: buying available water rights and exploring converting rights to consumptive use were mentioned as options. Chris Larson noted Preston’s geological limitations—"we're not in the big aquifer that a lot of the rest of the state is"—and said available options are likely to be expensive but worth evaluating. The council asked staff to include stronger language in Element 6 and to locate prior water‑study reports for reference.
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