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Laketown council discusses water-system upgrades and considers pausing planned 3% rate increase
Summary
Council heard engineering options for new culinary wells and a proposed waterline loop, discussed operational sampling changes and conservation risks, and placed the proposed one-year pause to a planned 3% water-rate increase on next month’s agenda for formal action.
At the March 4 Laketown Town Council meeting, Mayor Brandon Willis and Sunrise Engineering’s Scott Archibald outlined near-term needs for the town’s culinary water system, including two possible well sites and additional distribution work.
Scott Archibald, joining by Zoom, described system components and identified two potential culinary-well locations — one by the cemetery and a second near the chlorine plant at the mouth of the canyon — and recommended further engineering to assess feasibility and costs. "We identified source, storage, distribution and treatment needs," Archibald said, noting siting and treatment considerations would drive project cost and schedule.
Developer and property-owner concerns about distribution were raised by Gary Mckee, who proposed that the city engineer design a looping main through his subdivision and that he would cover the engineering cost. Council members said they were concerned about having one engineer both design and review his own plans and placed the item on next month’s agenda for more formal consideration.
Council member Burdette Weston reported that Dan submitted nitrate, pesticide and VOC samples as required by state law and that Bear River Health Department will no longer perform monthly sampling for Rich County systems. "We will need to arrange for sample drop-off in Logan or coordinate shared monthly sampling with nearby systems," Weston said; she placed follow-up on next month’s agenda for logistics.
Mayor Willis proposed pausing the scheduled annual 3% water-rate increase for one year, citing low snowpack and the possibility of asking residents to reduce water use. The council discussed comparative rates and allotments and agreed to draft a resolution to consider a one-year pause at the April meeting.
Practical near-term steps included: meters to be read March 30, staff follow-up on delinquent accounts, and a request for meter-vendor (MeterWorks) to provide an overview of the radio-read meters, all placed on next month’s agenda.
What’s next: Council placed the waterline loop engineering arrangement, the potential one-year pause of the 3% water-rate increase and sampling logistics on the April agenda for further action.
