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Council discusses pump-operation plan and theft at water‑transfer site; plans trail cameras and extra patrols
Summary
Council members and staff described repeated theft and vandalism at the water-transfer station and agreed to pursue short‑term measures (trail cameras, higher camera placement, extra police checks) while exploring longer-term solutions and possible use of cybersecurity grant funds to support monitoring.
Council members raised security concerns about the water‑transfer station and a related pumping system at the June 2 meeting after repeated thefts and cut locks were reported.
"Once everything is in place ... there's gonna always be a human element to it. It can't be automated," said the presenter on operations (Speaker 9), explaining that staff or the water‑plant operator would make judgment calls about when to run the pump rather than fully automating start/stop routines.
Multiple speakers described thefts at the site: locks cut, copper and other equipment taken, and even a generator and crimpers removed. Staff and council discussed deploying trail cameras that store images to SD cards as an immediate, low‑cost step, and exploring cell‑linked cameras or hotspots if service can be obtained. A staff member (Speaker 3) said they had reached out about using cybersecurity‑grant funding to cover monitoring equipment but had not yet received a response.
Council asked the police to increase patrols near the site in the short term and agreed to buy and deploy trail cameras as a stopgap while staff pursues more permanent surveillance and connectivity solutions.
Next steps: staff will procure trail cameras for immediate deployment, coordinate with police for increased checks, and report back on grant‑funding possibilities and whether RightWater (contractor) or a designated city employee will be assigned routine operational checks.
