Sunset Valley City Council continued discussing its well system and water planning recommendations at its July 16 meeting.

At a public hearing June 4, residents suggested developing a water master plan, so city staff developed a basic outline of what that plan might look like, City Administrator Clay Collins said. Staff sent that outline to local resident Melissa Gonzales and water consultant Randy Williams to review and add their comments.

"We're at a possible fork in the road to say do we want to continue down that one path or do we want to look at the information that was drafted and see if we want to proceed with that," Collins told the council.

For the past two and a half years, the city has focused primarily on financial analysis of water planning, Collins explained. He said the city conducted a financial analysis with 30-year projections for two scenarios and determined it would be less expensive if the city did not put its well system back in service.

"Now that we're trying to decide how to proceed with that information, the question's coming up again of whether we want to make this just on a financial basis or think about other considerations," he said.

Councilman Walter Jenkins said in the past, the city has examined water planning issues more broadly than it is now.

"I'd like to go back either as a committee or [in council] and unearth some of that," he said during the July 16 council meeting.

Mayor Rose Cardona suggested holding hour-long work sessions before council meetings to revisit the issue. She said her goal is to keep the discussion alive, especially if the council decides a change is needed that might affect budget plans for the upcoming fiscal year.

Among the considerations are a recommendation that the city continue to exercise and maintain its well and pumps to provide non-potable water for use in the Community Garden and other areas to maintain Texas Commission on Environmental Quality designation as a public water supply.

The council also has also been discussing repealing the remaining sections of an ordinance that contains language making it unclear whether the current use of city of Austin wholesale water is allowed in the well service area. Ordinance 07012 was amended in 2012 to allow the Sunset Valley City Council to consider elimination of the dual water system, and allows for temporary changes in the regular source of water, according to city documents.

Gonzales recommended the council revise the definition of "temporary," which currently is defined as no more than seven days.

The council plans to continue its water planning discussions at its next meeting, Aug. 6.