The Fountain City Council will have the option on Tuesday night to finalize a 50-year agreement that could provide the water to build the equivalent of 2,000 new homes.

The agreement, tabled in December, still faces questions about how Fountain will allocate increased water resources in a competitive building market.

The source would be wells on the historic Venetucci Farm in the Security-Widefield neighborhood. The farm is a traditional field trip location for area kindergartners.

While some of the wells are reserved for agricultural use, others are part of an agreement between the Security Water and Sanitation District, the Widefield Water and Sanitation District and the city of Fountain. Fountain currently receives 10% of the water, while the other two districts each get 45%.

Use of the farm wells was temporarily halted several years ago due to the discovery of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) or groundwater contamination resulting from military operations. PFAS, a group of substances also known as “forever chemicals,” has been linked to adverse health effects.

The water became available again after the building of Security’s new filtration system, paid for by the U.S. Air Force.

Security approached Fountain with the idea of transferring some of its share in 2025. District manager Roy Heald told The Gazette in December that the district already had a robust water portfolio and didn’t require the farm wells’ output.

Fountain, on the other hand, is approaching its peak daily water use capacity and has turned away recent development applications.

The agreement would increase Fountain’s portion to 38.6% of the Venetucci water by 2030, while Security’s share would decrease to 16.4%. The increase would account for about 15% of the city’s current water demand.

Increasing Fountain’s share is a “turnkey” solution, according to the town’s memo on the agreement. The change would require only small infrastructure improvements.

While the Fountain City Council was generally enthusiastic about the deal, the sticking point in December was the anticipated demand for the new water source. City manager Scott Trainor advised the council that they might want to reserve water for certain projects. They could also decide which portions should go to residential, commercial or industrial development.

The council will have another chance to consider the deal as a regular item on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Fountain City Hall.