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County says Army Corps mitigation demand is delaying Panguitch Lake dam permitting
Summary
County officials say funding for the Panguitch Lake dam rebuild is in place but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking mitigation for about 50 feet of stream bank disturbance, a requirement local officials call unexpected; the commission will seek a rapid coordination call with the state to resolve the hold-up.
County officials told the Garfield County Commission that funding for the Panguitch Lake dam reconstruction appears secure but permitting is being delayed by a requirement from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The commission said the Corps is asking for mitigation for roughly 50 feet of stream-bank disturbance associated with moving the rebuilt dam farther back from the existing structure. A county speaker called the request “the most insane thing I’ve ever heard” and said the Army Corps’ position appears to conflict with a previously agreed joint permitting threshold under which disturbances of less than 300 feet fall to the state.
Commissioners said the county will request a conference call or Zoom meeting this week with the state official identified in the record as Teresa to press for clarification and faster processing. County engineering and design work is largely complete, commissioners said, and the county expects the state permit to be processed in about three weeks once the design is submitted.
Forest Service requirements such as an archeological (ARC) survey were described as routine and expected to happen quickly; county staff said they had been told the survey team should be on the ground the same week. The commission said it will pursue a joint conversation with the Army Corps and the state to seek a path that preserves emergency timetables for dam reconstruction.
Next steps: commission staff will set up the coordination call with the state contact and report back; no formal vote was taken during the discussion.
