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Council urged to prep for tight water year; staff to refine drought messaging and restrictions
Summary
Water staff described an early, rapid runoff, reduced supplemental allocations and heavier reliance on wells; staff recommended holding PI watering until May 1, then transitioning to two days per week if conditions warrant, and to update/consult the city’s drought contingency plan.
Council Member Ernie John and water operations staff summarized an unusually early melt and reduced allocations from supplemental sources. John said the river typically supplies 65–70% of American Fork's demand and noted that some late‑season sources (CUP and Provo River allocations) will provide a smaller share than usual. Water Superintendent Jay Brems gave operational details, warning that wells will need to run more extensively; he noted usage figures and costs: "On average, the city uses 55 acre‑feet per day for PI water, which is roughly 18 million gallons daily, compared to over 3 million gallons per day for culinary water." He also reported about $40,000 spent so far this year on well‑power and that continuous well operation for four weeks would cost roughly $200,000.
Councilors discussed conservation measures and messaging. Staff recommended keeping the current public message to "wait until May 1" before starting irrigation and then transitioning to a two‑day‑per‑week schedule; the council asked for consistent messaging across platforms and consideration of a graph to clarify impacts. No mandatory restrictions were enacted at the work session, but staff were asked to return with refined drought‑plan options and cost estimates for potential enforcement and outreach measures.
