NORTH SALT LAKE — The race is on.

Scrambling to get ahead of development, the city of North Salt Lake is working to provide water for its projected population in the year 2014.

A solution presented last Tuesday is aimed at solving the problem and easing residents' worries.

"We're aggressive in this. We're not laying back," said Rod Wood, the city's public works director.

The problem is the apparent result of poor planning and old technology. Development in the area has been more expansive than originally expected, putting a strain on the city's reservoirs. Old pipes and wells are struggling.

Residents in the Cove area by the Eaglewood Golf Course feel trapped in the middle of a fire hazard. They worry their dry lawns could ignite and that there would be no water to put out the fire.

Some days this summer, they have been right. On July 14, some residents woke up to find their only water was what they had in the pipes. Several times this summer, the reservoir has been below the 5-foot level, causing an alarm to sound.

Resident Craig Hughes compared it to playing Russian roulette.

The city recognized there was a problem and started working on the plan last year. Engineer Karen Baxter recommended $7.7 million in projects Tuesday and presented the city with some decisions.

The city must now decide whether to drill more wells or buy more Weber Basin water. Engineers recommend that the city strike a balance between the two options.

Weber Basin is more of a guarantee, but the city is at the end of the basin's line — and the company is requiring the city to pay for several upgrades to the system's pipes so the water can be carried to North Salt Lake.

City wells give the city complete control on pumping and repairs. They are cheaper to build and maintain than buying into Weber's system. However, to add wells, the city needs to purchase more water rights, which can be expensive and hard to find. Wells have a 50-year life span, and some of the city's wells are hitting that point.

"It's not about one being better than the other, it's about having a balance in our basket," Baxter said.

As for upcoming buildout, the water plan figures in the 80 acres currently involved in litigation with Salt Lake City, as well as Foxboro North and South in west North Salt Lake. The engineers also recommended that the City Council think about pausing development for a few months while they work on the problem. The council referred to the possible stoppage as the "M" word, as in "moratorium." Some fear that would prompt developers to sue the city.

Developers aren't about to build homes without water, however, and said after the meeting they'd be willing to wait.

"I just don't think it's prudent that we allow more development without more water," North Salt Lake Mayor Kay Briggs said.

The City Council will hear resident input on the plans at a public hearing this month.

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