The City of Prineville has saved up enough water for its current residents, but doesn’t have enough to prepare for future growth.
The City of Prineville has saved up enough water for its current residents, but doesn’t have enough to prepare for future growth.
Crook County has been one of the fastest growing areas in the state but was hit hard by the housing collapse.
“Right now, we have 2,400 homes that have been or are working their way through the planning process,” said Prineville City Engineer Eric Klann. “While we do have some extra capacity in our water system, we don’t have enough to take care of 2,400 homes.”
These are not the only homes that the City has to eventually supply with water. Oregon Revised Statute 197.712 requires cities to develop a plan to supply enough water to feed their entire urban growth boundary. In Prineville, that amounts to another 36,000 people — more than triple the current population.
“We have a big, big UGB,” Klann said.
The supply concerns are not limited to residential growth either.
“We also have to think in terms, strategically, of what another Facebook would mean,” said Prineville City Manager Steve Forrester. “From the economic growth aspect, we need to have water inventory so that we can be ready as we move back into a healthy economy.”
Read more at the Central Oregonian.
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