Mayfield submits CIB application for aquifer storage study, council pledges $15,000 match

Mayfield — The Mayfield Town Council opened a public hearing on Feb. 11 to discuss an application to the Permanent Community Impact Board (CIB) seeking funding for an aquifer storage and recovery study. Town staff said the total study is about $30,000 and the town applied for approximately half of that from CIB, with the council having agreed at a prior work meeting to provide a $15,000 match if the grant is awarded.

Why it matters: Council members said the study would evaluate whether Mayfield can intentionally recharge a local well during high-flow months and recover a portion of that water during dry months — potentially expanding effective water supply without securing new water rights.

Town staff presentation: Garrick, called by the mayor to explain the proposal, described Mayfield’s existing water sources — four springs and two wells — and said the ASR approach would let the town store excess spring flow underground in winter for later recovery. "In the past, the states allowed to recover about 50% of the water that you put down there," Garrick said, describing typical state recovery limits.

Garrick also described local water-quality constraints. He said the town well runs about 12–13 parts per million (ppm) nitrate and the park well about 11–12 ppm; springs run roughly 1–3 ppm. He said blending spring water with well water currently makes the system usable but that the town would like to reduce reliance on the town well and, if recharge is successful, lower nitrate concentrations in distributed water.

Process and cost: Garrick outlined three phases — study, design/permitting, and construction — and said a hydrogeologist must assess local geology and advise the state as part of permitting. He stated the study cost is about $30,000 and confirmed the town submitted the CIB application by the deadline. "The study is it's about 30,000," Garrick told the council. Council members noted submission does not guarantee funding and additional eligibility requirements remain.

Next steps: If CIB awards the grant, council members said the town intends to provide the local match and proceed to the study and permitting phase. The public hearing record is intended to document the council’s financial commitment and allow public comment; the council did not take a formal vote on the grant application itself at the Feb. 11 meeting.

Provenance: First discussion of the public hearing and the ASR application appears in council remarks opening the hearing and Garrick’s presentation during the early meeting segments; the cost and match details were stated later in the hearing.