City, conservancy district step back from cofferdam plan; council to form community steering committee for reservoir recreation

Toquerville staff and council discussed the future recreation plan for Chief Toker Reservoir (also referred to in meeting discussion as the Tocqueville Reservoir) after the Washington County conservancy district withdrew support for an earlier cofferdam concept.

City Manager Ben Billingsley said the city had pursued a cofferdam at the reservoir’s north end that would have stabilized water in a recreation area, a project staff believed could be funded by a near‑term grant opportunity. The conservancy district, however, recently concluded the cofferdam idea raised operational challenges — chiefly the difficulty of maintaining stable water levels for recreation when the reservoir may be supplied by a mix of reuse water, Ash Creek flows or Virgin River diversions depending on season and water rights. The district withdrew support for the cofferdam, Billingsley said, and the city declined to pursue the grant cycle tied to that scope.

Billingsley outlined a fallback approach: build a South End day‑use area (parking, a small pavilion and unimproved dirt trails), but delay major capital investments until staff and a community steering committee can observe how water levels behave over multiple seasons. “We could build a dirt parking area and watch it. Let it fill, let it recede, and then we see what kind of facilities would be most appropriate,” he said.

Mike (public works) and the sewer and water representatives noted technical and permitting concerns. Sewer‑district staff emphasized the Division of Drinking Water and Division of Water Quality are closely watching proposed reuse and mixing scenarios and that water‑quality outcomes could affect the plant’s permits. City and district staff asked that representatives from the conservancy district and the sewer/water districts sit on the proposed steering committee. A conservancy official present asked that the city’s recreation MOU reflect the relationship between the conservancy district and the city and clarify the Bureau of Reclamation grant requirements tied to recreation funding.

Why it matters: The reservoir and its recreation plan have potential impacts on water quality, permit obligations for the Confluence Park treatment plant and on city budgets: constructing a fully developed recreation area now could consume multiple years of park impact fees and other local funds. Staff said a phased, data‑driven approach would reduce the risk of costly retrofits.

Next steps: Council asked staff to draft an MOU with the conservancy district and appoint a community steering committee to advise on design and grant timing. Staff said they will not submit an application for the rejected cofferdam grant this funding cycle and will instead reconvene stakeholders before requesting major capital funds.