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Emery reviews water master plan; consultant flags aging pipes and $3.2 million distribution upgrade
Summary
A consultant presented Emery’s final water master plan Jan. 14, identifying aging infrastructure and inadequate fire flow in much of town, and recommending phased distribution upgrades with a $3.2 million estimate and potential state and federal funding options.
A water master plan consultant, identified in the meeting as Kelly, presented the final plan to the Emery Town Council at the Jan. 14 meeting and said the town’s primary long-term challenge is aging infrastructure — tank, treatment and distribution assets that will need phased replacement over the next decade.
The consultant told the council that source and storage volumes are sufficient for current population and projected growth, but much of the distribution system uses small-diameter mains that do not meet fire-flow code in interior areas. Kelly recommended looping north-south and south-north streets and replacing undersized lines (the recommendation included replacing 2-inch lines with 8-inch mains in key segments) to improve fire flow and system resilience.
The report includes a cost estimate of about $3,200,000 to implement the recommended distribution improvements if done together, with the consultant noting the work could be phased. Funding options discussed were state drinking water programs (the presenter said a moratorium on new applications is expected to lift in spring, increasing available funds), Community Impact Board (CIB) loans or grants, and other state-level sources. The consultant advised coordinating closely with the conservancy district and drinking-water staff when scoping projects and pursuing grants.
The plan also contains an impact fee study so the town could adopt impact fees for new connections. The consultant described legal maximums and suggested the council could set an initial, lower fee. The transcript contains an exchange in which Kelly said the maximum allowable charge could be $11,000 per connection and later said $8,000 during the same discussion; the consultant characterized the study as providing the lawful ceiling and the town would determine any lower local rate.
Council members pressed the presenter on water-rights and source-risk questions related to Muddy Creek shares and low-flow scenarios. Kelly cited an approximate present flow figure of 1.14 cubic feet per second for the town’s share and recommended staff and the council investigate priority and rights issues further ahead of next winter, because storage alone would not sustain several months of cut-off from the source.
The consultant noted a small number of valves (about four or five) remain unlocated in field maps and recommended follow-up field work to confirm valve and asset locations. Council members said they preferred paper maps for local review and asked staff to help assemble final maps and incorporate suggested edits before the February agenda.
The council did not take formal action on the master plan at the meeting; staff were asked to continue follow-up and bring related funding or project requests back to the council.
