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

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Prescott City Council Study Session—September 19,2006 Page 18 in the hallway that contained all the staff reports and copies of the krrr ordinances and resolutions, or she could get them from the City Clerk. He appreciated the City working toward safe yield and agreed exempt wells were a large part of the problem; he suggested getting all the cities and towns in the AMA together and come up with a solution and work on it, not to do it separately; everyone needed to share the responsibility of reaching safe yield in the AMA and a fee could be paid to cover pumping of exempt wells;this proposal misdirected the lack of progress in reaching safe yield and didn't have a chance of being passed by the EPA,State or County; it wasn't a serious proposal. He said that Mayor Simmons was on the Safe Yield Subcommittee of the Upper Verde group and they had looked at ways to deal with the safe yield problem and this wasn't one of them; they couldn't apply the same standards required of water providers to exempt well owners;a report from the Subcommittee would come out at the end of the year and should be supported. Mr. Mechanic remarked he didn't understand asking for credits and Mr. Kidd responded that applied to Item L, and explained the number of exempt wells in the Prescott AMA increased 30%between 1990 and 2005 and these wells were drawing water from the aquifer, the City was supposed to bring the AMA back into safe yield, but there was no control over how much water was pumped from the wells or the number of wells allowed to be drilled in the AMA; the resolution proposed the concept of establishing a fee for future exempt wells to be used to offset the 1160 anticipated draft on the aquifer from such wells, and a credit to municipal water providers to account for the effect of these wells on the aquifer. Mr. Mechanic asked what the credits were supposed to cover and it seemed to be confusing the issue and there shouldn't be a credit given to the city because someone drilled an exempt well; he proposed that they come up with one solution and have everyone agree on it and sent it to the Legislature. Attorney Kidd clarified the credit would go into the safe yield calculation and could be part of the recharge. Bernard J. Sheridan, 1355 Wickwood Lane—he had a 447 foot well and pumped 6 gallons per minute, was checked each year and it met and exceeded city standards and he asked if this resolution would affect his well tomorrow and Mr. Kidd replied"no". Candace McNulty,221 S. Marina Street—she was puzzled about the safe yield credits and asked if they were money or water credits, and if the AMA was required to devote water to safe yield if the city was looking to subtract something because exempt wells were taking water that was unaccountable. Attorney Kidd explained it was a policy issue and it could be money or water credits.