Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public works outlines chip-seal, EWP work and local water concerns after Homelon Rock Road success
Summary
Public works reported positive feedback on Homelon/Rock Road, outlined chip-seal and Emergency Watershed Protection work for Tropic Reservoir funded by NRCS, and commissioners discussed urgent beaver-related irrigation blockages threatening local water supplies.
Public works staff briefed the commission on roadwork and watershed protection projects and described growing local concern about irrigation supply due to beaver dams.
Dave Dodds, public works representative, said the county has received strong public feedback on the Homelon/Rock Road project. "We've been getting a lot of feedback already ... telling people how nice it is," Dodds said, and he thanked the road crews for their work.
Dodds described upcoming operations: chip-seal work in Tropic timed to a new dumpster location, additional chipping elsewhere, and grading and surveying related to ongoing restoration efforts. He said the county is coordinating with engineers and consultant Jones and Emery on an Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) project for France Canyon and Tropic Reservoir, noting potential sediment removal and NRCS compensation for the work.
During the public-works update commissioners asked about surplus cattle guards and scrap metal; Dodds said usable guards may be repurposed on low-traffic roads and that scrap metal can be recycled through county or Panguitch City landfills.
Separately, a commissioner raised a pressing irrigation concern: beaver dams on North Creek are reducing flows and the Escalante irrigation company may run out of water within ten days. Commissioners asked staff to meet with Jared Wolsey and the state's Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) or use county crews to clear dams as appropriate. One commissioner said reservoir cleaning and drainage work are needed and directed staff to involve county engineering and water-resource contacts.
Dodds also cited a tourism-related funding comment: $3,500,000 could chip 58 miles and finish much of the Rock Road work, a figure raised during the meeting in the context of upcoming chipping plans.
The commission did not take formal action on new funding during the meeting but instructed staff to continue coordination with NRCS and county engineers on EWP implementation and to follow up on beaver removal options.
