Cedar City Council weighs master-plan options for long-term water supply, directs budget priorities

Cedar City Council members spent the meeting reviewing a multi-option water-supply master plan that lays out short- and long-term choices — including a West Pump Station project, filtration upgrades for Cedar Canyon springs, test drilling at Martin’s Flat, a Braffitts Creek well and a larger Pine Valley import — and directed staff to reflect immediate priorities in the upcoming budget.

The master plan’s presenters told the council that the most time-sensitive items are completing canyon filtration to meet state treatment expectations, funding a $1 million test well at Martin’s Flat, and advancing the West Pump Station because of interconnections and chlorination needs. Ridley, a staff member who led the presentation, summarized cost and capacity estimates and described the draft report’s near-term availability: “If we needed to get it to you next week, I think we could,” Ridley said.

Why it matters: City staff and consultants said state requirements to address chlorination and water treatment make some near-term upgrades mandatory. The consultants presented a range of capacity, cost and operational tradeoffs — from low-cost, near-infrastructure options such as a Braffitts Creek well (estimated near $5.1 million) to large regional buys or infrastructure like the Pine Valley project (published Central Iron County estimates used, whole-project figures not Cedar City’s share) — and warned that the city likely cannot meet long-term modeled demand without participation in a Pine Valley import or…