Price City approves watershed EIS scope change and moves forward on water leases and pipe staging

Price City Council approved a scope modification for the Upper Price River Watershed environmental review and took several water-related steps at its April 22 meeting.

Staff described a $105,000 scope change requested by consultant Corax to continue an environmental impact statement (EIS) for a lower‑elevation reservoir project. Miles, a staff member, said the modification will require re‑sizing reservoir and diversion piping and that the work will push final completion to next spring; the change lets the project advance while the city awaits further funding decisions from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

The council also approved a plan to lease surplus water shares (including Pioneer 1, Pioneer 2 and shares in Price Water Company and local ditches) at a price range of $15 to $25 per acre‑foot; Miles said roughly 59 acre‑feet are typically leased annually and that lease revenue goes back into city funds to offset annual assessments. Staff noted the pipeline for the transmission project has been pre‑purchased and will begin arriving next month; a fenced, locked staging area has been arranged, with storage estimated at about $15,000 per year.

Why it matters: the EIS and water management work are steps toward a multi‑year reservoir/diversion project that relies on outside funding and several engineering changes. Leasing surplus shares provides near‑term revenue and helps pay assessments for shares the city owns.

Attributions: Miles provided technical and schedule details about the EIS, leasing volumes and the staging area. A councilmember asked that the contract language be reviewed for an environmental‑justice reference; staff agreed to remove a term that appeared in an earlier memo.

Next steps: staff will proceed with the scope modification work and continue coordination with NRCS and county partners; the city will receive pipeline deliveries beginning next month and manage staging per the agreed terms.