North Huron council is still figuring out what Wingham's next water storage solution will be.
Council held a special meeting Thursday where engineering consultants BM Ross ran members through the options of a water tower, reservoir, or another standpipe to replace the town's 50-year-old structure.
The town contracted R.J. Burnside to design a new standpipe for the town, but the engineering firm suggested to council to consider a water tower to better incorporate future growth.
Engineers said if the town stuck with a standpipe, booster pumping stations would be needed down the line.
However, council highlighted the issue of the land requirement for a water tower, which would mean finding a new home, preferably at the top of the hill, for the tower.
Councillor Mitch Wright said they still have too many unanswered questions to proceed.
"I think we need an engineering report to say, functionally, this is how Wingham's system works right now," he said. "All the key questions... I mean if we have a deficient capacity to fight a major fire in town, I want to know that. What flows do we need? What capacity do we have now? What are realistic growth projections? How big of a solution do we need? Does a standpipe come big enough for that? Do we have to put a water tower in?"
Wright said council is leaning one way, but they need a further report from staff prior to a decision.
"I think it's pretty obvious if a standpipe can satisfy the needs, standpipe is the way to go. We have $2 million in funding and a place to put it," he said. "If a standpipe fulfils the requirements, we're obviously going to go with that. If it doesn't, we're probably going to go with a water tower. But we need to understand what the requirements are and if a standpipe can meet those requirements."
Council directed staff to reach out to RJ Burnside about the largest possible standpipe that could be built on the current site.
Staff will return with more info and a decision will be deferred to a future special meeting.
Staff also noted that while the town was unsuccessful with its Housing Enabling Water System Fund grant application in the spring, there is currently another round of funding available, so they will try applying again.