Columbia Water and Light held an open house meeting Wednesday, encouraging residents to voice their opinions on a new water resource plan. Residents walked around to different displays detailing 6 versions of the Integrated Water Resource Plan. They were then asked to complete a survey about how they would like to see the city obtain its water in the future.
With the current system, Columbia’s main water supply is groundwater from an aquifer near the Missouri River. The city's water system then treats and transports that water to citizens as safe drinking water.
Hank Ottinger, a member of the Water and Light Advisory Board said a plan needs to be chosen to combat increase in demand.
“We are coming up to a point as the population increases in Columbia, obviously the demand increases,” Ottinger said. “The question is how are we going to meet that demand? There are a number of scenarios of how we can do that.”
Ottinger said potential ways to meet demand include conservation, detention ponds and irrigation systems.
“Lawn irrigation is probably one of the largest users of residential water,” Ottinger said. “So you have this system where you’re taking treated drinking water, a very expensive product, and throwing it on lawns.”
Ottinger said he hopes the city can look for other scenarios that will mitigate that type of demand.
Connie Kacprowicz, a spokesperson for Water and Light, agrees. She said immediately expanding the water treatment plant to meet demand is not the way to go.
“We decided it would be a good time to look at ways that we can use other water sources that don’t have to be treated to drinking water standards and that way we can possibly delay the expansion of the water treatment plant,” Kacprowicz said.
Ottinger said the water resource plan looks 30 years ahead so the city can plan for the future.
“I think the city is being very responsible in looking to the future. This is a plan that looks out to 2040. The last thing any responsible city wants to be is left in the lurch without providing adequate water supply for its citizens,” Ottinger said.
According to a handout provided to residents in attendance, the goal of the water resource plan is “to determine the best combination of strategies for ensuring a sustainable and cost-effective water supply.”
Columbia resident Tom O’Connor said he likes several of the proposed plans, but he worries about sustainability.
“When you get out that word ‘sustainable’, that actually means a lot of stuff. If you get out that word, you better be ready to use it. It’s like a gun.” O’Connor said. “I’d like to think we’re really committed to sustainability and that’s what I want to see. How committed are we or are we just using this word?”
Kacprowicz said if residents were unable to attend the meeting, they can still fill out a survey about the water resource plan online. She said the survey will remain available until the end of the week.
“We are very fortunate that we live in a vocal community. I expect a lot of public response to this,” Kacprowicz said.
Kacprowicz said she thinks the Water and Light Advisory Board will have a recommendation approved by the end of the year and the selected plan will begin implementation in early 2017.