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Cedar City staff outline limited backup capacity for wells, warn of summer shortfalls
Summary
City staff told the council that Cedar City has one reliably serviceable diesel "knuckle" motor and one stationary backup generator on order; summer demand and pipeline constraints could force irrigation restrictions during outages.
Cedar City public works staff told the City Council on Jan. 22 that the city's redundancy for groundwater production is limited and that a major outage in summer could require temporary restrictions on irrigation.
Ryan Marshall, public works director, summarized the system and backups: “Right now we have…well number 5…an extra motor down there that has a right hand knuckle on it…that runs off diesel,” and said the city has a similar diesel backup on well No. 6 but that unit needs rehabilitation. Marshall said a stationary backup generator ordered for well No. 8 has a two-year lead time and will cost about $350,000; the vendor now estimates delivery in four to six months.
Why it matters: City wells and tanks provide the community's culinary water. Staff said they can maintain household supply through the winter on two wells (Nos. 5 and 8) and possibly three if No. 6 is rehabilitated, but summer peak demand draws tanks down rapidly. Council members asked whether mobile trailer-mounted generator units would be a lower-cost solution; staff quoted mobile systems on trailers in the $700,000–$1,000,000 range and said those units still require significant electrical and plumbing work to run 600-horsepower pumps.
Supporting details and operational limits: Marshall and other staff described a handful of technical points for council members. The diesel-driven ‘‘knuckle’’ on well No. 5 has been exercised and can operate, but performance with that motor in high-demand summer scenarios is uncertain. Running multiple wells simultaneously reduces per-well output because of pressure constraints in the transmission line. The well No. 6 backup exists but requires rehabilitation; staff estimated that if No. 6 were rehabilitated and the No. 8 generator installed, the city could run two or three backup-capable wells during an outage.
Council discussion focused on cost, timing and practicality. Marshall said the city has discussed mobile units with two contractors and engineered quotes for trailerized systems are much higher than static generators. Council members raised the prospect of trade-show research and asked staff for a written summary of existing capacity, likely performance and estimated costs.
The report closed with staff warning that a major summer outage—especially during widespread irrigation—could exceed backup capacity, forcing the city to restrict outdoor water use to prioritize household supply.
