Price officials weigh funding and property options after NRCS halves Mead's Wash project; Olson Reservoir gravel storage to stop

Price City officials spent a large portion of the meeting discussing flood-mitigation work for Wood Hill and Mead's Wash after the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) reduced the scope and funding for the project.

The mayor said NRCS officials concluded funding the full retention basin design — sized for a 100-year storm — would provide little protection for the larger storms the city has experienced, and they declined to fund the larger plan. City staff and local engineers are exploring an alternative federal funding route, referred to in the meeting as PL 566, and state Community Impact Board (CIB) funding to make a larger project viable.

Why it matters: Council members and consultants described recent storms that exceeded the 100-year design standard and warned those events caused substantial life-and-property risk. The discussion covered funding availability, design changes, property interests and near-term maintenance needs.

City engineer and staff updates focused on next steps on the federally funded Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) project on Wood Hill, where the design is “pretty much been approved,” and NRCS will move to bidding and construction soon, a city staff member said. Council and staff reported ongoing work on easements; several undeveloped lots along the corridor will require access agreements or acquisitions to build the project as designed.

“Most of them are owned by Joe Levitt,” the staff member said about adjacent property owners; the meeting record shows one parcel is owned by the Henry family. Council members discussed whether to compensate owners with appraised value for easements rather than asking property owners to donate space, and they noted full tax value on one small lot was only $8,300. Staff said they would seek appraisals and return with a recommendation.

Council members also discussed a related operational issue: the city’s use of Olson Reservoir for storing gravel and other materials used in public works. A resident petition with 20 signatures prompted the mayor and council to consider suspending the storage operation. After legal counsel review, the mayor proposed closing Olson Reservoir for storage, removing material already on site and then deciding on the property’s long-term use.

Council members and staff said the Olson site plays a role in the city’s flood-control complex and warned selling the parcel could complicate future flood mitigation. The mayor said moving the storage would carry costs — he cited an estimate of about $75,000 to bring power to an alternative site and additional costs for fencing, security lighting and containment bunkers — and would require finding another site with space and appropriate infrastructure.

Council direction: The mayor and staff agreed to stop operations at Olson Reservoir in the near term, remove stored material, and return to the council with options for securing, repurposing, selling or transferring the parcel. Staff will also pursue PL 566 and other federal/state funding avenues and follow up on easement and acquisition options needed for the Wood Hill/Mead's Wash work.

Background and next steps: Staff said NRCS funding will still pay for design costs already incurred and will not immediately reduce the city’s available bond funds; the council agreed to examine CIB funding and the city bond issuance timeline. Staff also reported they will include potential property-appraisal and acquisition costs in future budget discussions and that any land purchases would likely be paid from the stormwater fund rather than EWP money because EWP funds cannot be used to buy property for the project.

The council asked staff to return with an analysis of funding scenarios, the status of easements and appraisals, and options for relocating gravel storage that protect the broader flood-control plan.