Lewiston council declines water-line extension request, flags pressure and service-area problems

Kendall asked the Lewiston City Council for permission to extend a 1,700-foot water service line from the city system across county land to serve a proposed home site.

Public-works staff told the council that extending a long dead-end line into county territory would reduce water pressure and flushing efficiency and could compromise fire flow. "Having a dead end and extending it is gonna reduce the quality of water," the public-works staff member said, adding that the west side of town is already fed by 6-inch lines that can dip below desired pressures during high flows.

Council members raised additional concerns: a single dead-end run could create a permanent pressure problem, complicate hydrant placement and open the door to repeated, city-serving extensions outside municipal boundaries. Several council members said the city should not extend service where the system cannot reliably provide pressure and fire protection; one council member summarized the panel's view by saying they would not approve the extension under current conditions.

Kendall said an engineer had reviewed the area and indicated the extension might be feasible but that Kendall would need to pay for engineering reports before the city would consider a formal application. Council members recommended that Kendall either provide engineering that demonstrates adequate pressure and looping or pursue annexation as the standard path for out-of-city service requests.

What happens next: The council did not approve the extension. Members asked staff to keep working on system pressure data and said an engineering report or annexation would be required before the city would run water outside its service area.