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Water Documenters: Read meeting notes from the Central Utah Water Conservancy District Board Meeting

The Feb. 28 meeting approved projects in Strawberry Reservoir, Salem, Strawberry River and Provo.

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Attendees

Board Members:

Kathy Wood Loveless (Salt Lake County)

Max Haslem (Uintah County)

Steve Hanberg (Uintah County)

Jim Riding (Salt Lake County)

Wade E Garner (Utah County)

Greg McPhie (Summit/Wasatch Counties)

G Wayne Andersen (Utah County)

Shelley Brennan (Duchesne County)

Al Mansell (Salt Lake County)

Brad Wells (Duchesne County)

Marvin Kenison (Juab County)

Randy Vincent (Uintah County)

Jon Bronson (Salt Lake County)

Eldon Neves (Utah County)

Jennifer Scott (Salt Lake County)

Steve Farrell (Summit/Wasatch Counties)

Kirk Christensen (Duchesne County)

Additional:

Rob Moore (Legal Counsel), Gene Shawcroft (General Manager), CUWCD staff about 10 guests

Engineering and Operations Committee, led by Al Mansell

A request for approval of construction of fiber optic telecommunications along the Strawberry Aqueduct System was presented by Dylan Dastrup, a water system technician. On behalf of the committee, Dastrup recommended the approval of the construction on the grounds that fiber optic cables would improve remote operations of facilities in adverse weather, stabilize flow measuring to minimize data gaps, and increase site and cyber security.  Four bids came back to implement the cables. Optimize Communications was selected as the favored candidate with a bid of $1.2 million. The motion was approved unanimously with some discussion.

Central Utah Project Completion Committee, led by Kirk Christensen and Jon Bronson

A request to change Order 7 of Salem Reach 1 Pipeline Project was presented by Brad Perkins, a water resource engineer. The Salem Reach 1 Pipeline Project is a partnership between CUWCD and Salem City with the purpose of enhancing Salem’s water infrastructure. The change to Order 7 would increase the amount allocated for the project due largely to project enhancements, as well as unforeseen conditions and design issues. The largest cost comes from the relocation of a significant portion of the pressure irrigation pipeline. The proposed change would increase the amount by $603,693.00, which would be split between CUWCD and Salem City. This would increase the total cost of the project by 5%, amounting to $51.5 million. The motion was approved unanimously.

A proposal for an amendment to a contract on the Wasatch County Water Efficiency Project (WCWEP) was presented by Chris York, a project engineer. The project’s purpose is to re-establish the upper Strawberry River and supplement wetland and groundwater mitigation. Hydropower for the project is currently supplied by the Colorado River Storage Project (CRSP). The amendment would extend the terms of the contract with WCWEP through September 2057 and replace Wasatch County with CUWCD as the signatory on the contract. The motion was approved unanimously.

Environmental and Conservation Committee, led by Jennifer Scott

A proposal for the approval of a Professional Services Agreement (PSA) with a company providing aerial imagery was presented by Amanda Strack, a water conservation manager. Water conservation is a central goal of the CUWCD, and the committee recommends acquiring remotely sensed images to inform about landscaping practices within the district. The proposed plan would have flights in spring and late summer, before and after green-up. The committee requests approval for a five-year PSA with the vendor Nearmap totaling $643,000. After addressing several questions from the board about privacy concerns, the proposal was approved unanimously.

Finance, Audit and Budget Committee, led by Greg McPhie

A resolution to authorize CUWCD’s participation in an ongoing project with the Redevelopment Agency of Provo City was presented by Bronson Stewart, a controller and certified public accountant. CUWCD received a request to enter into an interlocal agreement on a development project. The purpose of the project, called the Mix Community Development Project, is to upgrade the sewer and other infrastructure on a property off of University Parkway and 2300 North. The resolution requests CUWCD to contribute a 70% tax increment for a duration of twelve years, amounting to approximately $12,000 each year. The elements of the request are consistent with guidelines adopted by the board in 2017 for participation in Community Reinvestment Areas. During the time of discussion, Jon Bronson objected to the timing of the resolution, remarking that he would be voting no, because CUWCD policy requires that no project move forward “but for” the availability of tax increment. Al Mansell noted his vote in favor, but with the provision that all future proposals be presented to the board prior to construction. The committee acknowledged the difficulty of the timing, but recommended approval on the grounds of being a community partner operating at the same level of participation as other taxing entities. The resolution passed with six dissenting votes: Jon Bronson, Marvin Kenison, Eldon Neves, Jennifer Scott, Randy Vincent, and Brad Wells.

What passed

  • Award of Construction Contract Strawberry Aquifer Collection System 2024 Telecommunications Replacement Project

  • Approval of Engineering and Construction Payments for January 2024

  • Approval of Change Order No. 7 to the Construction Contract with Ames Construction, Inc. for the Spanish Fork Santaquin Pipeline – Salem Reach 1 Project

  • Approval of CUPCA Engineering and Construction Payments for January 2024

  • Adopt Central Utah Water Conservancy District’s Privacy Policy

  • Amendment 2 to Contract No. 97-SLC-0343 for Electric Service to the Wasatch County Water Efficiency Project

  • Amendment 3 to Development Block Notice. 1A – Removal of Daniels Replacement Water from Block Notice

  • Approval of Professional Services Agreement for Aerial Imagery Services

  • Approval of Finance and Expenditure Report for January 2024

  • Adopt Resolution 2024-02-01 Authorizing the Interlocal Agreement with the Redevelopment Agency of Provo City for the Mix Community Development Project Area

Summary

  • Ten items were proposed, and each was passed unanimously, with the exception of Resolution 2024-02-01 from the Finance, Audit, and Budget Committee.

  • Approved projects fall under the general categories of Infrastructure Improvements, Contract Amendments, and Data Collection.

  • A sum total of $9,615,216.00 was allocated to the various projects and committee payments, including only the first year of payments to contracts spanning multiple years.

Water Documenters is a collaboration between The Salt Lake Tribune and City Bureau and funded through grants from the Great Salt Lake Collaborative and the Rita Allen Foundation. College student journalists from all over Utah are hired to attend and take notes at public water meetings in Utah. These notes are then published for anyone to read or use. The project is aimed at providing better public access to meetings where major decisions are made about a limited Utah resource. For more meeting notes, click here. For more information, click here.