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Tar Canyon water project moves toward USDA review; prairie‑dog survey and easements next
Summary
Staff said the USDA environmental assessment is mostly complete but needs a biological survey for the Utah prairie dog and Fish and Wildlife concurrence; easement negotiations are starting and a $5,000,000 community project allocation was noted but still dependent on federal appropriation.
Speaker 6 briefed the council on the Tar Canyon (referred to in the meeting as Tor/Tar Canyon) water‑supply project and said most USDA technical documents have been submitted but a biological assessment surveying for the Utah prairie dog is outstanding.
"There's a known colony half a mile away," Speaker 6 said, and explained that Fish and Wildlife Service concurrence or permission to survey outside the active season could accelerate the timeline. He said once that assessment is added to the environmental documentation and approved, the USDA can complete its review and a funding award may follow.
Speaker 6 said easement negotiations with affected landowners are beginning and that project phasing is driven by separate funding sources: state dollars will pay certain transmission elements while federal funds would support other construction. He noted Gunnison has been awarded $5,000,000 in community project funding toward the project but cautioned that congressional passage and an award letter are required before those funds are available.
Council members asked about sequencing and expressed support for lining up easements and using the survey to meet USDA requirements; Speaker 6 estimated a year of construction for the major transmission and drilling work and emphasized the importance of receiving the USDA award letter before committing to certain construction phases.
