On Monday, February 9, 2026, the Spring Valley City Council gathered for their monthly meeting. Prior to jumping into their agenda the council invited Chris Rolli, from Spring Valley Public Utilities (SVPU), to discuss the recent water issues.
On Wednesday, February 4 a hole was discovered in the water tower, then, in an unfortunate case of bad timing, the city suffered a water main leak on Thursday night. The combination caused a loss in pressure forcing the city to issue a boil order for all water.
“Our tower had an issue with a hole in the bottom, so one of the drains was leaking. We had to fix that so we had to take the tower out of service. When we do that we run off of our well pumps. Then on Thursday we had a water main break on Main Street. We still had a pump running but it wasn’t enough to overcome that water leak that is why in higher elevations in town we had less pressure,” Rolli explained. “If we lose water pressure we are obligated to contact the duty officer. He notified the Department of Health; and they were the ones that recommended a boil order. There was a chance (of contamination) around the leak and when you lose pressure it can kind of suck stuff in, so it can create a back flow issue.”
Businesses that serve food were contacted immediately. Residents were alerted through the SVPU alert system.
“Overall, the chances of something happening in a situation like this is pretty minimal, but there is still a chance. That is why we had to do that boil order alert,” Rolli said. “It has been a long couple of days. I want to say, I appreciate you guys (council and staff). I didn’t realize you would be hit with all the messages,” Rolli said. “We appreciate everyone’s patience with everything.”
In order to get the most up-to-date information residents are urged to sign up for SVPU alerts online at public.alertsense.com/SignUp/?RegionId=2126. Residents call also call SVPU for any utilities related questions at (507) 346-7622.
Mayor Justin Mlinar and council members thanked Rolli and the rest of the crew at SVPU for their diligent work.
Mlinar shared the council will be reviewing the city’s emergency response times and what they can do for alerts.
Staff Reports
Public Works has been busy with the daily rounds, weekly testing and monthly testing, as well as snow and ice removal, servicing city-owned equipment and upkeep at the compost site.
The Park and Recs Committee is getting estimates for upgrades to the sand volleyball courts.
The Spring Valley Library’s Building Committee continues to meet in preparations for the exterior construction project, which is set to begin in the spring. The interior will also be getting a facelift thanks to a new coat of paint.
Ambulance Co-Director Sue Puffer shared there were 44 calls in January, with 46 patient contacts. She thanked the crews for their hard work as they had four instances where the second truck needed to respond.
Puffer encouraged anyone interested in joining the ambulance crew to contact herself or co-directors Lucy Drinkall and Mike Zimmer. She is hoping to have enough people interested to hold a fall class.
According to Fire Chief Dustin Johnson there were three false alarm calls with two due to water pressure issues affecting sprinkler systems, one carbon monoxide call and one vehicle accident.
The department held a training for hoarding fires and attended their emergency medical responder (EMR) refresher.
Mlinar noted the Tourism Committee is preparing for the bike race coming to town, which has been renamed to the Wilder 100. The group will also be taking over the Music in the Park festivities.
The mayor addressed an inappropriate Facebook comment made from the City of Spring Valley’s page on Sunday, February 8. “The city will address this as we, as a council, see fit. Unfortunately, with it being a personnel issue we can’t share those details with the community,” Mlinar stated.
Other Business
The tobacco licenses for Casey’s, Kwik Trip, Dollar General and Smoking Guns were renewed.
The downtown street closures for Fins and Films were approved.
The council approved the Kingsland Booster Club’s request for an off-site gambling permit for a raffle in March.
A resolution to adopt the Fillmore County Hazard Mitigation Plan was approved.
The Tracy Road Project pay estimate six, for $7,713.27 was approved.
After reviewing a proposal from Dunlap Seeger, the council voted to accept them as the city’s new city attorney.
Fire Department Treasurer Mitchell Plaehn presented a proposal to the council to increase the Fire Relief Benefit by $300 for a total of $3,000. The council moved to table the proposal in order to review further.
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