Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Resources topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Levan council resists selling irrigation shares, favors aquifer projects and impact-fee purchases
Summary
Mayor Shepherd proposed selling some of the town’s nine irrigation water shares to fund water improvements, but councilmembers strongly opposed selling existing shares and instead discussed using water impact fees and pursuing aquifer recharge projects; R6 has roughly 200+ shares available at tiered pricing.
Mayor Tyler Shepherd raised the possibility of selling some of Levan’s nine irrigation water shares on March 12 as a source of funds for water-system improvements. Shepherd said conversations with the state engineer’s office and other contacts indicated that the R6 water source would not involve the conversion losses usually associated with converting stock water to culinary use.
The council discussed R6 availability and pricing: R6 reportedly has approximately 200-plus shares available, with a listed tiered price of about $30,000 per acre-foot for the first 10 shares and lower prices for larger purchases. Council members expressed strong reservations about selling existing town shares, describing them as valuable long-term assets for the town’s future water security.
Council Member Jerry Spencer emphasized the value of pursuing aquifer recharge projects and recommended staff consultation with the utilities manager before any decision on water shares. Council members discussed using current impact-fee funds (the council noted roughly $53,904 in water impact fees with an additional $13,000 expected) to purchase additional shares instead of selling town-held shares.
No formal motion to sell shares was made or approved at the March 12 meeting. Council discussion closed without a direction to sell existing shares; the item remained a topic for further staff analysis and follow-up with the utilities manager and potential funding sources.
