Granite County commissioners reviewed a proposed contract with engineering firm HDR to produce the FERC-required conditional assessment of Flint Creek Reservoir and discussed funding options and timing.

Jasper (HDR project team member) explained the scope and schedule for the conditional assessment, saying the work starts with an inspection plan submitted to FERC, includes a field inspection and a formal risk analysis and must be completed to meet the FERC deadline. Jasper told commissioners, “These can range in cost from kind of what you're seeing here is kind of the lower end of what these cost up to over, you know, $5,600,000 for larger projects.”

Key context: FERC requires a conditional assessment and the county must submit the report by Dec. 31, 2026, according to meeting remarks. County staff and HDR described the work as intensive — including on-site inspections, a potential workshop to run a potential failure mode analysis (PFMA), and a risk analysis — and noted that follow-on work often arises from such assessments.

Funding and grants: county staff said they applied for a DNRC reclamation grant for $75,000 but were not successful. Staff also said the DNRC Renewable Resource Grant can fund planning grants up to $40,000 and that other federal or congressional allocations might be options; they encouraged pursuit of grants and phased budgeting. HDR included a small placeholder ($5,000) for independent consultant support and a contingency for additional workshop needs.

Decision and next steps: the commissioners did not finalize contract approval at the meeting. Commissioners asked staff to circulate the HDR contract and fee schedule for detailed review and to coordinate with county counsel and project lead Jeremiah (county consultant) for legal and technical review. Staff suggested phasing most of the expense into the 2026 fiscal year so the work spans two fiscal years. Commissioners directed staff to return with a finalized contract and a funding plan, and to circulate contract documents to commissioners, county finance and the study commission members prior to final signature.

Ending: County staff said they will seek grants, present a multi-year budget plan and return the contract for formal action next week when additional commissioners are present.