LAKE HAVASU CITY — Population drives water use and by 2040 Lake Havasu City is projected to have 70,000 residents.
That’s what Tim Kellett, Lake Havasu City’s deputy director for Public Works said at the Feb. 24 City Council meeting talking about a water master plan update.
The City Council unanimously approved the master plan update which was last updated in 2019. The master plan focuses on water supply resources and reliability and water distribution system improvements to meet existing water demands and includes an evaluation of future water treatment requirements in terms of capacity, rehabilitation, and reliability.
The water master plan typically is updated every five to 10 years and is one of many documents that can be used to plan for future infrastructure needs dealing with water supply and service.
Among the findings in the draft plan are that the existing storage system generally meets current design criteria for operational, fire flow, and emergency needs for most zones. Also, two pressure zones would benefit from a small increase in emergency storage for the near term.
The existing pump station capacity for all pressure zones meets current design criteria, according to the updated master plan.
The plan also stated that the city would benefit from several reliability improvements, notably redundant pipelines to areas where many homes are served by a single pipeline.
By 2040, the plan explained that the city’s four pressure zones will have a storage deficit if no other tanks are constructed because of the increased demand.
Also, in its projection out to 2040, according to the master plan, the city should initiate early planning for a second water treatment plant to provide redundancy as the city continues to grow.
Councilwoman Nancy Campbell said she appreciated the updated information to the plan.
“The level of expertise (in updating the plan) is vital to our system,” Campbell said.
Campbell continued by criticizing a previously approved parks master plan.
“How many kids are playing on a baseball field is not as important to me (as this),” Campbell said. “I think staff can do that.”
The water master plan gives developers tools that will help plan in the long term, Campbell said.
Mayor Cal Sheehy, who was a proponent of the parks master plan, responded to Campbell’s statement comparing the necessity of the two master plans.
“It’s amazing what a few different words in front of master plan can do from one item to the next,” Sheehy said.
The updated water master plan was conducted by Jacobs Engineering for $225,000.
