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Council flags Rice Ranch well water quality and defers large filtration spending
Summary
Public works reported high total dissolved solids (TDS) in a Rice Ranch well sample; councilors agreed filtration options (including reverse osmosis) may be required but opted to wait for more data before budgeting major equipment, keeping project engineering and conservative capital timing under review.
Quartzsite’s public works director (S9) told the council that water sampling at the Rice Ranch well showed very high total dissolved solids (TDS), describing the supply as "really hard water." The finding triggered council questions about filtration needs, equipment protection and when to budget for capital upgrades.
"We had it sampled and it is really hard water," S9 said, reporting the study and that the sampled well depth was around 1,300 feet. Council members asked whether reverse osmosis (RO) or other filtration would be necessary for community use and equipment protection; S9 and staff recommended delaying a large capital commitment until they have more precise data and consultant input.
Separately, the council reviewed wastewater project engineering and capital timing: staff reported a $300,000 line for project engineering and a wastewater expense total of about $2 million while revenues were estimated at about $1.6 million, signaling a need to balance projects and reserves. Council discussed manhole liner repairs, microseal versus slurryseal road treatments and prioritizing preservation work versus immediate replacement.
No vote was taken on filtration procurement or engineering spending; staff flagged that project engineering may be deferred and recommended further consultant study and sampling before including filtration equipment in the near-term budget.
What happens next: Staff will collect further data and consultant input on Rice Ranch water quality and present budget implications before committing significant capital for filtration.
