Emery County Commissioners addressed a variety of issues in their second meeting in March. Commissioner Migliori said there have been some problems with flooding in four specific areas in the last couple of years. Emergency funds will be applied for to help alleviate these problems. These four areas are the XTO Site, Water Plant, Adobe Wash, and Cottonwood on the Cottonwood Drainage for a total of $4,170,140. The land owners in lower Castle Dale have approached the commission several times about flooding problems in their area when the Cottonwood Creek overflows its banks and comes onto their farm land and homes have been flooded as well.
Capt. Kyle Ekker has been working to put the reports together on these areas, so funding can be applied for with the NRCS. Each of these projects is being handled separately, but the combined total estimate to fix the problem areas is $4,170,140. This includes constructing a berm to keep flood waters off the farm lands below Castle Dale.
The damage survey reports have identified the areas most significantly flooded recently. The reports will go to the NRCS and hopefully emergency allocations of funds for these projects will made available. A 25 percent match must come from the county/stakeholders involved. This can be an in-kind match and use of equipment to work on the project can go towards the match. Orangeville City has said they could supply backhoes for the work of cleaning under the Orangeville bridge over the Cottonwood Creek. A new culvert would need to be installed at the water plant up the canyon because the one there is too small. Riprap needs to be installed by the Barker’s home up the canyon and the rock there could be part of the in-kind match money. Migliori expressed confidence the in-kind match could be met without much difficulty. Once the funds from the NRCS are in place they must be used within 220 days. Work on these projects needs to begin as soon as the money is there. Work on easements, permitting and NEPA can begin now, so when the funds come in, the work can begin. Some of the areas needing work would need Army Corp. of Engineer approval and some would not. After the work is complete, there needs to be operation and maintenance plans in place to insure the areas receive proper maintenance in the future, to decrease any liabilities involved. Each of the four projects will have a separate operation and maintenance plan. The canal company and the power company are all very supportive of the projects and are on board with the in-kind matches needed.
It’s expected the NRCS will have a contract ready within 30 days. The NRCS can also help with the NEPA process for the projects. Drawings are needed for each of the projects. Any funds expended now wouldn’t be reimbursed because a contract isn’t in place, but it would be good to get moving on the projects and the canal company has some funds available to help get the projects moving. Agreements between the stakeholders for the in-kind contributions will also need to be in place.
Migliori explained the commission needs to approve the reports to confirm the county would like to pursue this project. The commission approved submitting the reports to NRCS to start the funding process.
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