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Clear Lake debate intensifies over city proposal to consolidate Highlands Water Company
Summary
Residents, water operators and company counsel contested the city’s push to create a public utility from Highlands Water Company; city staff cited infrastructure failures, affordability and lack of grant access as rationale. No takeover vote occurred; council said the topic will return to future agendas.
City officials and dozens of residents traded sharply different accounts on Thursday over a city proposal to consolidate three local water providers into a single public utility, a move city staff say is needed to fix aging infrastructure and expand access to grant funding.
The dispute dominated public comment and a lengthy staff presentation at the Clear Lake City Council meeting. "Highlands' existing system is not reliable," the city manager said in a presentation summarizing engineering reports that flagged insufficient supply, a treatment plant at capacity, a leaking storage tank and an aged distribution network that does not provide adequate…
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