During the November City Council meeting, there was a lot of discussion about the current and future water supply of the city. Recently, there has been a wake-up call for a long-term fix regarding water usage. The three main areas of concern dealing with the current wells are: the wells aren’t producing as much water as they should; there has been more development happening than was originally anticipated/projected in 2009; and there has been a lot of dry weather in the last few years. This is why the Council wants to start digging a new well, which will help supply more water to the area.
The City is dependent on receiving water from wells and springs but might have to resort to getting water from other neighboring cities temporarily if the wells don’t perform up to expectations. The Council also voted to put a six-month hold on any future development plans; however, the 226 lots that were approved before the hold will still be allowed to continue their development.
State administration rules state that at least 800 gallons of water must be provided for residents to use per day. This is according to R309-510-7 in the state administration rules which say, “Sources shall legally and physically meet water demands under two separate conditions. First, they shall meet the anticipated water demand on the day of highest water consumption. This is referred to as the peak day demand. Second, they shall also be able to provide one year's supply of water, the average yearly demand.” Pleasant View takes monthly water measurements rather than daily ones, so the peaking factor is 864 gallons, which is higher than state regulations. On average, 17,000 gallons of water are used per household per month. This can go up depending on individual circumstances, such as having a leaky toilet or irrigation.
The important thing to remember is that Pleasant View is not running out of water for its residents and the Council is working very hard in order to ensure the best solutions are considered, such as developing a new well and working with engineers to try and fix existing wells so they can work to their full capacity. All these measures are to help make sure residents will have enough water now and in the future.
