Soda Springs council declares emergency, authorizes up to $337,932 contract to replace leaking main under railroad

Soda Springs — The City Council voted March 20 to declare an emergency and authorize an immediate replacement of a leaking main water line that runs beneath Union Pacific tracks, approving a contract authorization of up to $337,932 with the contractor A Plus.

Director of City Services Dan Squires told the council the pipe in question is an 8-inch north–south main feeding the south side of town and that an active leak was identified about a year ago. "It was identified about a year and 0.5 ago. There was an active leak under Union Pacific's tracks," Squires said, describing an earlier bore and the need for a broader replacement to secure the main feeder and avoid repeated repairs.

The council’s resolution (2026-4) declares the situation an emergency and waives the formal bidding process, citing the leak and the limited availability of contractors for this type of work. A council member moved to "adopt resolution number 2026-4, a resolution on the city of Soda Springs declaring a[n] emergency to replace a water leak under the Union Pacific line and to forego the formal bidding process... and in turn authorized director of city services to contract with A Plus contractors up to $337,932 to replace the 2nd East water line, connect the water line to the new bore under the railroad line, and to integrate and correlate the project with the 2nd South/Highway 30 ITD project," language recorded in the meeting.

Council members pressed Squires on the severity and timing of the leak. When asked to quantify the flow rate, Squires said it was "large enough" and indicated it was "more than 5 gallons" in the context of the question about gallons per minute; he warned that a failure under the railroad tracks "could be a fairly devastating situation for sure." The council also heard that if the work is delayed, contractor rates could rise from about $600 per foot to more than $900 per foot, which the director said could increase the city's cost by roughly $40,000.

Council and city counsel discussed permitting and timing. The current encroachment permit was reported to expire on July 9; re‑permitting has previously taken about two years and, according to comments in the meeting, cost roughly $35,000 (approximately $25,000 for the permit plus about $10,000 for expedited review in the prior instance). The council noted that Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) work on 2nd South/Highway 30 is expected to start in the coming months, and replacing the city line now would avoid cutting into a newly repaved highway later.

A city attorney said A Plus has been the only firm bidding these types of projects locally and is already handling infrastructure work tied to the ITD project, which the council and staff said would streamline coordination. After limited discussion and a modification to the motion that incorporated the resolution's stated findings, the chair called for a roll-call vote. Council President Hart, Councilman Larson and Council Lady Byrum voted in favor; the chair announced three ayes and no nays and declared the motion passed.

Attorney Tom Smith explained to the council why Councilman Ryan Carpenter was not participating: Carpenter works for A Plus and "has abstained from votes regarding projects with A Plus," the attorney said, adding that Carpenter does not receive a pecuniary benefit as an employee and is not involved in bidding decisions. The council adjourned after the action.

The contract authorization and the waiver of formal bidding are intended to allow the city to replace the pipe before ITD resurfaces 2nd South, minimize repeated excavation, and address the leak that staff said is ongoing. The resolution text and the council vote are part of the meeting record; the contract authorization sets a maximum amount but does not record any executed contract terms beyond the authorization.