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City staff present 2025 Water System Plan showing potential supply shortfalls without conservation
Summary
Consultants told Moses Lake council the Water System Plan projects maximum‑day demand could nearly double over 20 years absent conservation; staff recommended pursuing new wells, surface water options and water‑use efficiency measures to defer major capital costs.
City consultants presented the draft 2025 Water System Plan and told the Moses Lake City Council the system will face capacity pressure in coming years unless the city pursues additional sources and demand‑reduction measures.
Ryan Withers, presenting via Zoom, said the plan evaluates supply, storage, transmission and projected maximum‑day demand. The system now operates with 19 active wells and a stated combined capacity of roughly 26 million gallons per day; historical maximum‑day flows sit near 14,000 gallons per minute (gpm). Under a baseline-growth projection tied to the city’s 2021 comprehensive plan and assuming no further water‑use efficiency gains, the plan projects maximum‑day demand could exceed 25,000 gpm on peak summer days within 20 years.
Withers said the plan models a lower‑demand trajectory that assumes adoption of smaller lot sizes, accessory dwelling units and targeted conservation measures (for example, targeted pipeline repair, automated meter reading and an excessive‑use fee). If the city successfully realizes water‑use efficiency savings and continues the recent downward trend in per‑capita use, the pressure to add new sources could be deferred by roughly a decade.
Staff emphasized that the Department of Health requires evidence of sustained lower per‑capita demand before recognizing revised capacity thresholds, and that the plan includes hydraulic analyses, a capital improvement plan and options including new groundwater wells and exploring an eastern surface‑water source for peak demand. Council members asked about aquifer depletion, the effect of a new comprehensive plan on projections, and whether the 10‑year approval window from the Department of Health permits interim updates; consultants said the plan can be amended and that some tables explicit address aquifer depletion.
The council received the presentation and indicated it will have further review and follow‑up questions before moving to formal adoption and Department of Health approval.
