City will study extension of water service beyond State Park

City water service may be available to homes along South Shore Drive, located beyond Clear Lake State Park, in the foreseeable future.

City Administrator Scott Flory asked for the City Council’s permission Monday night to look into the possibility of extending water service in possible conjunction with improvements to County Road B-35 which are now in the planning stages.

Flory said he would like to identify the feasibility of extending water service to approximately 34 family dwellings in phase one.

Flory said he has received repeated requests over the past several years.  Residents just outside the city limits have complained about water quality and raised arsenic levels, he said.  Extension of the water service would also improve fire protection service, he said.

In light of the City’s commitment to water system upgrades over the past decades, the timing may be right to extend the city service, said Flory.

The City is already looking to upgrade a four-inch water line to 12-inches as part of its South Lakeview Drive reconstruction project.  That, combined with the county’s plan for work at B-35, which connects to South Shore Drive near Lekwa Marsh, may facilitate the upgrade.

Flory noted that there are many details to be studied, but said some historians have told him South Shore Drive used to run through Clear Lake State Park, which should provide easement opportunity.

This would not be the first time the City has extended its water service to areas outside of the city limits.  Earlier this year, service was provided to the Mason City Municipal Airport.

The Council will still need to formally approve an agreement with Veenstra & Kimm to begin a feasibility study.  The cost for the work is estimated at $19,600.  Once approved, four to five-months would be needed for the analysis.