A plan by the RM of Cartier Council to close the Springstein water standpipe has been denied by the Public Utilities Board.

The standpipe provides drinking water for residents to fill their water tanks, but the RM wanted to close it because of limited use.

The PUB listed four reasons for denying the application, and Reeve Dale Fossay acknowledges the RM's presentation may not have been good enough.

"So, we're respectful of the decision," he says, "But there's a little bit of a mixed signal, because other decisions from the Public Utilities Board are clearly that utilities should pay for themselves, and put away a little money for future repairs, and the standpipe is a draw on the system, financially, so I guess we didn't articulate that clearly enough."

Fossay tells us where Council goes from here.

"Council will take the response, and there were a number of reasons outlined in the document, and we'll study them, and plan a second step, if there is to be one."

The PUB decision is here.