Spring City Council weighs temporary moratorium on new culinary water connections as springs decline

Spring City Council on July 9 discussed a staff recommendation for a six-month moratorium on new culinary water connections as the city grapples with a sharp decline in spring flows and reduced well output.

"The springs are currently at 55% of last year's levels, even though last year was also a drought year," Cory Madsen told the council, warning that wells are producing at about half of expected output and that the city has lost roughly 1.7 million gallons compared with last year. Council Member Laurel Workman said Public Works requested the moratorium to preserve existing supply and that the resolution includes a provision to review water rates every 30 days and temporarily raise them if needed.

The council also heard from subdivision applicant Ashley Webb about a proposed private 10-inch loop to capture pressure from a planned upper tank. Sunrise Engineering's preliminary modeling, Webb read, projected "pressures between 93-102 PSI and fire flows between 1,580 and 2,567 gallons per minute," which Webb said would provide adequate service and additional transmission capacity. Webb estimated his private portion of the 10-inch line would cost about $400,000–$450,000; he noted the city had previously set aside roughly $200,000 for a parallel 12-inch line to capture the upper-tank pressure.

Mayor Paul Penrod and Council Members said protecting the city's existing supply must be prioritized. Staff will work with the city's finance contact to calculate the budgetary impact of reduced springs and higher well pumping costs, and will prepare community messaging encouraging conservation ahead of the July 30 work session. The moratorium was presented for discussion and may be considered at an emergency council meeting if conditions worsen.