By a unanimous vote Monday night, the Duluth City Council signed off on plans to allow local climbing enthusiasts to tap into the city water system at Quarry Park, despite neighbors' concerns.
Several people who live in the area warned that ice farming plans at the park could worsen the already-low water pressure service they receive.
But Eric Shaffer, Duluth's chief engineer of utilities, said the ice-making operations would be confined to off-peak night-time hours and should not adversely affect people living at higher elevations in the Cody neighborhood. He confirmed that many of these residences do receive substandard water pressure of around 25 pounds per square inch.
The City Council tabled a resolution to approve the proposed ice farming efforts of the Duluth Climbers Association a couple of weeks ago to address neighbors' concerns, but after looking into the matter further councilors saw fit to move it forward Monday.
Nevertheless, 5th District Councilor Janet Kennedy said she would like to see the city look into some sort of long-term fix to improve water pressure in the area, especially as future development in the area is considered.
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At large Councilor Arik Forsman thanked Kennedy for her work on the issue and said he hoped to work with her to help organize neighborhood meetings to discuss the matter further.
