Chiefland City Commissioners Tim West, Rollin Hudson, Mayor Chris Jones, and Commissioner Lewrissa Mainwaring are debating whether the city should join the Nature Coast Regional Water Authority.
By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter
Chiefland City Commissioners will meet in workshop after their regularly scheduled meeting Monday to discuss whether to join the Nature Coast Regional Water Authority.
The current members in NCRWA are Fanning Springs, Bell, Dixie County and Gilchrist County. The Suwannee River Water Management District has encouraged Chiefland to join the organization.
Chiefland commission meetings start at 6 p.m. at City Hall.
Chiefland owns a piece of property north of the city that stands over a rich vein of pure water. The property has a well at the site that the city plans to connect to the existing city water system in the future.
The central question for the city is whether Chiefland would ever want to sell water from the site to neighboring communities through NCRWA? Or should the city use the site only as a source of water for Chiefland?
Chiefland commissioners authorized City Manager Mary Ellzey at their previous meeting to begin researching the possibility of obtaining a grant to fund developing the wellhead property for use by the city.
Developing the site for city use would involve building a pumping station, installing a storage tank and laying water pipes to connect the site to the existing city water system.
Fresh, clean water is gaining in value as the state’s population grows. Would there be any advantage in joining a larger organization like NCRWA? Could NCRWA protect Chiefland’s water better than the city can protect it? How would that be possible?
Would it be easier for the city to expand its water and sewer systems through NCRWA? Would it be easier to obtain grants through the larger organization? How would that work?
Officials from NCRWA have yet to appear at a Chiefland Commission meeting in recent months to explain what advantages might exist in joining the organization.
Would NCRWA have the power to dictate policy to the city once it becomes a member? Could NCRWA by majority vote of its board override the Chiefland Commission regarding sale of its water to neighboring community?
If the city didn’t join the organization and wanted to sell water to a neighboring community independent of the NCWSA, could it do so?
If the city ever contracted with a neighboring community to sell water through NCRWA or as an independent seller of bulk water, could it ever terminate the contract and stop selling the water to its neighbor, or would it be a permanent arrangement?
The Chiefland Commission has three new board members that have never dealt with water issues. The city has simply pumped water to supply its own citizens. Should that practice continue or should the city make money by selling water to neighboring communities?
What if the water supply beneath the northern wellhead property began to run low when the city was under contract to sell water to a neighboring community, could the city terminate the contract in order to maintain water for its own citizens?
SRWMD is establishing minimum flows and levels for rivers, springs, and streams. How might those rules potentially impact the use of the northern wellhead property in a drought for example? Could water pumping be curtailed by the district? Does agriculture have a higher priority during a water shortage than city residents in Chiefland? Would residents be required to curtail their water use and not agriculture?
SRWMD owns property adjoining the city’s northern wellhead property. Could the water management district, as a next-door neighbor to the city’s northern wellhead property, influence or control whether the city sells water from the wellhead and to whom?
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City of Chiefland Regular February 24, 2020; Posted March 8, 2020
