Commission clarifies water-tank wording: function under 2014 stipulation matters more than exact mapped location

Alta commissioners on Aug. 27 asked staff to revise the July minutes to better reflect the intent behind an earlier discussion about a water tank linked to a 2014 agreement.
The mayor and several commissioners said the 2014 stipulation and the development agreement annotated the tank’s location, volume and elevation and that the town’s benefit in 2014 was that a tank in that position could gravity-feed up to 10 houses and provide emergency fire protection to nearby properties. The mayor suggested a succinct phrasing for the minutes: “the water tank will gravity feed the water system as agreed in the 2014 stipulation.”
Commissioners also noted factual ambiguity: a water storage facility functions differently if it requires pumping upstream versus gravity-fed distribution. Several speakers pointed out that, technically, the tank could be supplied by a pump station while still gravity-feeding the distribution system; the minutes should avoid wording that implies the tank is independently gravity-fed from an upstream source if that is not physically correct. Commissioners asked staff to record that the 2014 stipulation and the development agreement show the tank parameters and that the commission’s recommendation to council is to preserve the tank’s function as contemplated in 2014, even if the final map location changes with an easement and council approval.