CC - Minutes - City Council - 9/19/2006

Home

Prescott City Council Study Session—September 19,2006 Page 17 klihro It was clarified if she had to drill another well she could do it because there wouldn't be any more water used than before. Ms. Dorman asked how the public could get the reports and papers from the packet they needed to look at when there was an item of interest, how it was put on the agenda and why it didn't have a name with it on who created it. Mayor Simmons explained most agenda items were staff driven and the staff got together to discuss the items to be placed on the agenda; then the manager, clerk, attorney and Mayor got together to review the items and the agenda was put together, copied and distributed. He said that a copy of the packet was available in the lobby several days before the meeting for the public. Councilman Lamerson made the following points: • policies of the State were conflicting; • current standards for arsenic and other water quality standards which apply to municipalities do not apply to exempt wells; • the City had to pay for arsenic removal but exempt well owners didn't; • the AMA had to reach safe yield but exempt well owners could pump as much water as they wanted to; • there was no accountability of safe yield or any arsenic responsibility; • exempt wells in the AMA increased by 30%; • ADWR qualified one of their decisions that due to high impact fees and the cost of hooking into the city water lines, a resident could drill an exempt well instead. Councilman Lamerson wanted the proliferation of exempt wells stopped and wanted to see the State change the law in allowing residents to drill an exempt well instead of tying into the city system; ADWR needed to clarify their policies regarding exempt well owners and assured water providers and municipalities; the City was trying to reach safe yield and treat arsenic and the State policies did not support that. Ms. Tucker said that a new law went into effect on January 1 that prohibited exempt wells from being drilled within 100 feet of a water provider's system, unless it cost more to hook up to the water provider's system, so it doesn't help in their AMA because the City's impact fees make it more costly to hook up to the system rather than drill their own well. Howard Mechanic, 309 Bloom Place — He said that Ms. Dorman asked where she could get the full resolution and he noted that there was a book