Daniel council weighs Storm Haven water source, tank costs and trailer‑park hookup options

Town staff and council discussed multiple water system items April 7, including source‑protection findings, a potential land offer from Staker Parsons to site a storage tank, and a pending proposal for a trailer park to connect to the Daniel water system.

Town staff reported that routine testing and a source‑protection review for the Daniel water system are current, but the state raised issues in the five‑year source‑protection review that require follow‑up; council members said fencing and other source‑protection measures on the upper spring remain outstanding and will be scheduled for work bids. Storm Haven (the smaller system) and the Daniel system were discussed as a potential consolidated project to provide redundancy and fire protection to subdivisions such as Storm Haven, Tammy Lane and Crazy Acres.

Staker Parsons offered to dedicate roughly one acre on the county side of the highway as a possible tank site. Council members and staff discussed the value of including donated land in grant applications; a council consensus emerged to continue dialogue and indicate interest in principle while making clear the town has no immediate funding to commit. Council members asked staff to return with a more specific cost and funding plan before committing.

Council and staff also discussed a proposal from a privately owned trailer park seeking to connect to the Daniel system. The parkownerproject included a potential Division of Drinking Water grant and engineersestimates. The town would receive a water right (4 acre‑feet under current plans) but would also pay a modest annual lease to Central Utah Project if the water right is a leased right. Council members expressed concern about accepting a water right that would obligate the town to an annual payment; members asked staff to pursue whether Central Utah Project or other entities would consider gifting the underlying right to the town and asked the owner if the owner could accept payment responsibilities if feasible. Council members also discussed whether the town should install a single meter for the park owner to manage or require individual meters for each unit; legal and operational considerations were unresolved and council asked staff and counsel to research options.

Councilors agreed the town needs a clearer funding strategy for water‑system capital needs. Staff said prior engineering estimates for a full Storm Haven/Daniel consolidation (storage tank, pump house, distribution work) were in the range of multiple hundreds of thousands to over $1 million depending on tank size and scope. Council asked staff to schedule a public hearing to solicit resident input on water‑rate options and a potential long‑term plan for rate increases to fund system improvements and potential grant matches.

No formal contractual commitments were made at the meeting; the council asked staff to continue negotiations with Staker Parsons and the trailer park owner, pursue potential grant or gift opportunities with Central Utah Project and the Division of Drinking Water, and prepare a water‑rate public hearing.