Mayfield holds public hearing on CIB application for aquifer storage and recovery study

Mayfield held a public hearing Feb. 11 to formally record an application to the Permanent Community Impact Board seeking funding to study aquifer storage and recovery for the town’s water system. Council members and town staff described how winter spring flows could be routed into an existing well to increase usable water volume and improve water quality.

Garrick, the staff member presenting the proposal, told the council Mayfield currently relies on four springs and two wells and that aquifer recharge would let the town store excess winter spring flow underground for retrieval in drier months. "The aquifer storage and recovery ... allows a town to kind of increase their water source capacity," Garrick said, adding that state permitting has typically allowed communities to recover about 50% of injected water.

Garrick explained the project would proceed in three phases: a study phase to assess geology and permitability, a design phase, and a construction phase. He described modest physical work for Mayfield: piping winter spring flow from a lower spring through existing valves and into the park well, and adding meters and side inlets to the well casing to inject water below the water surface. Garrick and council members emphasized that the study is required by the state to determine how much water could be recovered and whether the practice can be permitted locally.

Study cost and local match: Garrick stated the study is approximately $30,000 and said the town submitted an application to CIB for about half the cost. Council members noted that in a prior work meeting they had agreed to provide roughly $15,000 as a local match if the grant is awarded; the application filing itself does not obligate final funding. "We made our application to the deadline," the presiding council member said for the public record.

Why it matters: Council members framed the proposal as a way to preserve spring resources, reduce reliance on high-nitrate wells and delay or avoid more intensive treatment. Garrick said the springs typically run 1–3 parts per million nitrate, while town wells measure about 11–13 ppm; injecting spring water could dilute nitrates in groundwater over time.

Next steps: The town awaits CIB review; if the board awards funding, council staff will proceed with the study and later design and construction phases. The public hearing was recorded so the application and local match commitment are on the town’s record.