Council updates test-well plans after BLM delays; appraisal received for Esplanade site

Jonathan Stathis updated the council on siting and sequencing for the North Watershed test-well project. He said Bureau of Land Management approvals are delayed by a presidential order requiring a 60-day signature hold and additional consultation with the State Historic Preservation Office and the Paiute tribe.

"They they were okay moving forward with this change order, but just to make you aware that they won't, do any reimbursements on this until the materials are on-site," Stathis told the council earlier in the meeting about a different item and later said specifically that BLM approvals would take additional time for the wells.

Stathis said the city received the appraisal for the Esplanade property the same day and could begin negotiating a right-of-way or acquisition for that location. Council discussed alternatives (start on city-owned parcels first, then Esplanade, then BLM land) to minimize contractor mobilization costs. Drillers said a single test well would likely take roughly 3—6 weeks; the contract allows 45 days but staff expects about 30 days per well under typical conditions.

Local hydrologist Andrew McCray recommended sites farther north, near the BLM notch adjacent to the CER properties, as more likely to encounter coarser, more productive gravel aquifers, but noted the trade-off: choosing the northern site reduces pipeline costs but may be constrained by permitting and landownership timelines.

Council did not change the selected sites but agreed to adjust sequencing and directed staff to return the item on the action agenda with recommended sequencing and permitting steps.