HomeMy WebLinkAbout3-4-04 letter from Brad Watson~~~EIVEI~
MAR 0 4 2004
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",i;v ~^lerk Office
Memo
,b: Mayor and Ciiy Council
From: Brad Watson, P.E.
~ File, Gary Smith, PE, Bill Nichols, Dave Yorgason
Date: 3/4/04
Re: Settlement Bridge Subdivision - AZ 03-035, PP 03-041, CUP 0&065
As directed by Mayor and Council at the February 24, 2004 Councl meeting, staff met with
Capital Development and their engineer on February 28 to discuss water supply and welt lot
acquisition issues. This memo addresses the water supply issue.
Re-Cao and Additional Irrfonnation
This project is located in the high-pressure zone. We utimately need two wells north
of Ustidc Road in this zone. See attached zone map.
• The City water system cannot meet the fire flow requirements of this subdivision
without additional water supply. The applicants team has never asked, either oratiy
or in writing, for verification of this.
• A potential weu site in Westborough Subdivision,'/4-mile south of Chinden on the
west side of Locust Grove Road has been secured (by lease with option to
purchase). Test drilling will commence in the next week or two.
• IF the water quality in the Westborough test well toms up satisfactory, production well
drilling and pump facilities construction will take 8 -10 months. We do not yet have
the water right approved by the Idaho Dept. of Water Resources (IDWR). Given the
normal course of public advertisement by IDWR, our hydrogeological consultant does
not anticipate the protest period end'rrig until April 19. If someone files a protest on
this water right, wa obvausly have noway of krunroing how long it will take to have an
operational well.
• I cannot issue an approval letter for the subdivision plans to the Department of
Environmental Quality {DEQ) for any phase of this subdivisron without additional
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water supply. That plan approval letter (sample copy attached) certifies that the City
can meet fire flow requirements. However, if plans for additional water supply
accompany the subdivision plans, I could likely issue an overall plan approval.
Aitemate Water Supaly
As I mentioned at the 2/24104 hearing on this mater, staff is looking at alternative water
supply sotxces for the high-pressure zone. Councl approved an agreement with Civil Survey
Consultants at the 2124104 meeting to investigate and ultimately design a solution. Please
refer to Len Grady's 3/4104 memo to me and Dave Yorgason's 3!3104 letter to me for
additional details regarding this plan.
Recommendation
Modify Site Specific Comment No. 25 {PP 03041) as follows:
Adequate water supply to meet fire protection requirements must be constructed,
installed and operational prior to signature on the final plat.
How adequate water supply is provided boils down k> two scenarios:
2.
Additional well is operational in the high pressure zone. The City would fully
fund this construction.
is a question. We would not be
stands today without additional ~
pressure zone.
anon s . How this would be funded
this re-routing as the system
Krt in the north part of the high-
!f Council allows scenario #2 th proceed, we recommend that the City maintain control of the
design, plans, and oonstrvction of the improvements. If Council decides that Capital
Development should be responsible for these improvemenrts, we recommend that it be a
financial responsibility only. If other projects in the high pressure zone north of Ustidc Road
benefit from this, we recommend that Capital Development be eligible for a latecomers
agreement
Funding
We currently have funds budgeted for the Jewett well (#2~ and the second well (#26 aka
#206) at the Ustidc Reservoir site. No funds east for an additional well although we will
undoubtedly request funds for iwo more wells in FY'05.
About a month ago, we considered asking Council for a budget amendment to create enough
funds in a new Weil #28 line item to allow us to do two test wells under the same contract.
These would have been at the Westborough and Settlement Bridge sites. We felt there
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would be same savings by having the test weN driller do two wells at the same time in cbse
proximity to one another. Since vwe did rwt come to an agreement on the Settlement Bridge
site by the time of the bid, we proceeded with the Westborough test well only.
Thank you fior your consideration. I look forward to discrusing this with you at the Council
meeting next week.
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