Water was the big issue at last night’s Council meeting. Public Works Director Dan Winters and City Engineer Tyler Zimmerman testified that the city has chronic water shortages during peak fish processing season and that existing infrastructure can’t handle the demand.

A 2010 water supply study recommended the city double its available water capacity and increase its backup storage eight-fold.  The resolution on last night’s agenda started that development process by contracting a firm to figure out where new water wells could be drilled.

Although councilors ultimately passed the resolution unanimously, there was considerable discussion about whether there is indeed a water shortage and whether drilling wells is the best way to handle it.

Right now most of the city’s water comes from the Icy Lake dam up Pyramid Valley.  During peak demand the city uses three groundwater wells to increase the available supply.  The 2010 study recommends adding an additional five feet to the Icy Lake dam, improving the lake’s catchment and drilling backup wells.  The current timeline has all of those changes happening by 2016.

Water treatment was also on the agenda last night.  Council accepted a $3 million grant from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and a $716,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency for construction of the new water treatment plant.  The city has to upgrade the existing system by October of 2014.  Currently, the city’s drinking water is only treated with chlorine; the new system adds a second layer of disinfection via ultraviolet light.  That upgrade is expected to cost $9 million.

The other issue that generated considerable discussion last night was the authorization of a one-time, $7,500 bonus for City Manager Chris Hladick.  Council voted to approve the bonus at the November 22 meeting but Councilor Zac Schasteen objected, saying the vote should be invalidated because it took place in an unscheduled open meeting with no public present.  The issue eventually made its way to the City’s attorney.  Mayor Shirley Marquardt said he concluded there was no procedural violation.

However, Schasteen expressed discontent last night with how other councilors responded to his inquiry.  He said that Councilor Robinson had told him in an email that if he wanted a legal opinion on whether procedure was violated, he should pay the attorney fees himself.  Robinson said he was referring to any future follow-up on the issue.

Ultimately Council voted unanimously to allow Mayor Marquardt to modify Hladick’s contract to reflect the bonus.  Several councilors commented that Hladick oversaw numerous major projects in the last year while also helping the city navigate complex litigation with the Department of Justice.