Mount Shasta council adopts mitigated negative declaration for Spring Hill water project

Mount Shasta — The City Council on Sept. 16 adopted a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) and a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP) for the Spring Hill Water Supply and Storage Project, a move staff said is intended to address pressure deficiencies in the northern part of the city and improve fire flows.

The project as presented by a city‑hired consultant would install a new production well on Spring Hill Road, construct two water tanks about 55 feet in diameter and 24 feet tall, extend electrical conduit and water lines, and make storm‑drain and access‑road improvements. The adoption resolution directs staff to file a notice of determination with the Siskiyou County clerk and the State Clearinghouse.

City officials and the consultant emphasized the project's purpose: to increase citywide storage, provide a redundant production well for emergency supply, and bring the system into compliance with current state water‑system standards. The consultant said the city’s five‑year average groundwater contribution to demand is about 4.23 percent, and that the proposed well’s pumping is expected to be similar to the city’s two existing wells, not continuous, and managed by the city’s SCADA system.

The CEQA initial study identified potential construction‑period impacts and included standard mitigation measures to reduce air‑quality impacts, prevent introduction of noxious weeds, avoid entrapment of wildlife in trenches, and protect biological resources. Specific biological protections cited include measures for birds and bats and a mitigation approach if milkweed used by monarch butterflies along Spring Hill Road would be affected. The MMRP lists monitoring actions and timing for each mitigation measure.

Councilors and members of the public asked whether concurrent operation of the proposed well and the existing Deck 6 well might cause groundwater drawdown if the Deck 6 property is sold and put to a higher‑intensity use. The presenter said deed restrictions currently prohibit beverage bottling at Deck 6, that any future use would be subject to separate CEQA review, and that technical documentation for the Deck 6 site (previously used by a bottling facility) showed historical pumping on the order of the low‑hundreds of thousands of gallons per day; the city’s municipal use would be substantially lower.

After public comment and council questions, the council moved to adopt the resolution and MMRP. The motion was approved with all recorded members voting in the affirmative.

Next steps: with the MND and MMRP adopted, staff will file the notice of determination and proceed with final design and permitting steps; construction timing will depend on final design, bidding and any required easement or property negotiations.