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Council presses for a second municipal water source, cites state advice on consumptive-use changes
Summary
Councilmembers expressed concern about Preston’s single water source and asked staff to prioritize a secondary source in the comprehensive plan. Members recounted advice from Idaho Department of Water Resources representative James Cefalo about converting water shares to consumptive use as one potential approach.
Councilmember Brent Dodge (S5) opened discussion on element 6 of the comprehensive plan (natural resources/water), saying the plan already recommends the city seek a second municipal water source for future growth and emergency redundancy. He asked the council whether the plan’s language should be elevated in priority and whether staff should pursue additional planning work to explore feasible secondary sources.
Councilmembers and staff recalled that, during the 'capital for a day' event, James Cefalo of the Idaho Department of Water Resources suggested the city might consider purchasing water shares and changing their use to consumptive use to obtain additional municipal supply. Councilmember Chris Larson (S2) described the idea as helpful but warned conversion and treatment would be expensive; members agreed staff should investigate options and return with prioritized language for the comprehensive-plan update.
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