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Walhalla council adopts water-policy blueprint to guide repairs, pauses new taps in problem areas
Summary
City Administrator Myers presented and the council adopted a "living" water policy that prioritizes urgent PVC line repairs, targeted flushing and an external system review; staff estimated a long-term upgrade need of about $30 million over 5–10 years and recommended a moratorium on new taps in strained areas.
Walhalla’s City Council on first considered and then adopted a water-policy blueprint intended to guide immediate repairs and long-term planning for the municipal water system.
City Administrator Myers presented the plan and told the council that 76% of Walhalla’s water customers live outside the city limits and that staff have identified recurring PVC-pipe failures, discolored water, and pressure problems as priorities. "Seventy-six percent of Walhalla’s water customers are outside of the city limits," Myers said, arguing that the growth in the system has raised equity and cost-allocation questions for city taxpayers.
The policy directs staff to prioritize urgent repairs (with PVC lines top of the list), continue and expand targeted pipe flushing to reduce discoloration, improve the phone/notification system, compile a hotspot list of affected customers, and commission an independent review to inform a 10-year master plan and GIS inventory of the system. Myers summarized the near-term package as a three-step approach: get facts, contain the problem and prioritize scarce resources.
On costs, Myers told councilors staff returned a preliminary estimate of roughly $30 million in additional work over the next five to 10 years to bring the system to acceptable standards. The draft policy also notes the city has spent earlier capital on the system and asked for an outside estimate to refine the figure; the transcript records a related line that reads "we're spending $10 million plus 2.47 we've already spent this year," a phrasing that staff should clarify in the follow-up report.
The policy recommends a moratorium on connecting new taps in areas where pressure or volume are demonstrably inadequate until upgrades are completed. Myers said the moratorium is intended to avoid committing the city to expansion that could exacerbate current service failures or shift disproportionate costs to city taxpayers.
Council members supported adopting the document as a living policy to guide decisions while allowing amendments as new information arrives. Councilor Lindex and others emphasized better public communication and asked staff to supply more granular hotspot data. A voice vote to adopt the policy passed; council directed staff to provide follow-up details and to prepare cost and financing scenarios for the master plan.
The council then moved to executive session on contractual matters.
