Price City leaders discuss study to pare $42 million water-treatment plan; public hearings set on rates and spring-line work

Price City officials on an item of the council agenda discussed commissioning a supplemental engineering study to seek lower-cost alternatives to a $42,000,000 water-treatment plant design and outlined plans for a phased spring-line replacement and related rate changes.

The study under discussion would cost about $21,000 and would be paid from remaining planning funds previously budgeted for earlier design work, officials said. "We have a $42,000,000 design right now that we've paid," the council member leading the update said. The study would evaluate phasing, seasonal operation and possible shared facilities with a neighboring system to reduce upfront costs.

Why it matters: council members said the scale and timing of the treatment-plant project and spring-line work will affect whether the city can secure grant and loan funding and how much the utility rates must rise. Officials said the city must present a design and cost estimate to funding agencies to qualify for certain state and federal programs.

Discussion and details Officials described two related strands of work: a spring-line replacement estimated initially at $12,000,000 plus an added $2,000,000 allowance to cover potential federal requirements if federal funds are used, and a separate…