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Council approves interconnection agreement with Northwest Rural Water District after capacity review
Summary
Council approved a cooperative agreement and interconnection with Northwest Rural Water District (NRWD). NRWD manager Tony Rutherford said the arrangement avoids duplicative infrastructure; city engineers reported modeling indicates existing lines have capacity and that the connection can improve water turnover in a dead-end line.
Staff presented an agreement to allow Northwest Rural Water District to purchase water from the city and to cooperate on shared infrastructure rather than build redundant facilities. Tony Rutherford, manager of NRWD, described the proposed cooperation as a way to avoid duplicate pump stations, power bills and insurance by purchasing water from the city at a premium in some situations.
Philip Bowman and the city engineer reviewed modeling done with NRWD's engineer and said analyses of average, peak-hour and max-day demand show the city's existing infrastructure in the Beacon Hill area has sufficient capacity. The city engineer noted that connecting the systems could also improve water turnover in a previously long dead-end line, improving water quality. Council members asked whether the city could reduce the volume sold in times of constraint and whether a 25% premium on the rate would cover potential infrastructure impacts; staff pointed to contract force majeure language and modeling that shows the amounts in the agreement represent a worst-case scenario.
After questions and clarifications, the council approved the agreement and related contract language. The motion passed by vocal vote; staff will execute the agreement and coordinate project phasing with NRWD and the city's engineering team.
