Here we go again on Hunter Lake. The outgoing City Water, Light and Power chief says that Springfield needs a second lake to serve as a backup water supply, something former mayor Mike Houston said often. New mayor Jim Langfelder says a second lake would make a swell place for recreation, even if it’s not needed for water supply. The new city council will want to restudy the issue, as every new city council does. But first the mayor and council should read the old studies, including the 2012 report by Layne Christensen, an Indiana firm, which clearly said that gravel pits can supply all the backup water Springfield needs. The new aldermen will soon learn that Hunter Lake, with its $108 million price tag, is still unnecessary. –Fletcher Farrar, editor and publisher
This article appears in May 14-20, 2015.
