A proposed dam on Gooseberry Creek in Sanpete County has raised the hackles of Carbon County residents and Utah Power officials, who fear the project would steal their water.
The idea for the dam goes back to 1933, but it is a giant step closer to reality with the completion last month of a draft environmental impact statement that proposes construction of a reservoir that would deliver 5,400 acre feet of water per year to residents and farmers in Sanpete County.Local water districts and governments in Carbon County have joined forces with Utah Power to oppose the proposal, which goes up for public hearing this week. (Please see box.)
"This is not your garden-variety intercounty water dispute," said John Serfustini, spokesman for the Carbon Water Committee. "It's a dispute over whether $16 million in state and federal funds should be spent to literally destroy the water outlook for Carbon County while producing marginal benefits for Sanpete County."
The Sanpete Water Conservancy District proposes to build the earthen dam upstream from Scofield Reservoir, which provides most of Carbon County's water needs and which could see a decrease in its supplies as a result of the new dam.
Utah Power opposes the plan because it could jeopardize the company's Carbon Plant, a coal-fired power station in Castlegate, Carbon County, said Dave Eskelsen, Utah Power spokesman.
"Scofield is a critical supply during the winter when the flows in the Price River are very low," Eskelsen said.
With a 173-megawatt capacity, the Carbon Plant is an important part of Utah Power's grid system, producing enough electricity to service 49,000 homes, he said. What's more, that particular plant is paid for.
"It would cost the company more than $100,000 a day in replacement power if Carbon were shut down because of lack of water," Eskelsen said.
While dam opponents plan to place hurdles at every turn for the Sanpete water district, they may ultimately lose the battle. A Utah Supreme Court decision in the mid-1980s gave Sanpete County the rights to 5,400 acre feet per year from the Price River drainage, of which Gooseberry is a part, said Jacqueline Murphy, an environmental protection specialist with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
Asked about Carbon County's concerns regarding the proposed dam, Murphy criticized the county for not managing its water supply.
"Carbon County has taken another direction," she said. "They've tried to reverse the decision of the court. They haven't come up with water conservation plans or what's going to happen in coming years."
If the new dam is built, the Sanpete water district, which routinely experiences shortages of 30 percent, plans to use 4,920 acre feet per year for agricultural purposes. The other 9 percent, or 480 acre feet, would be used for municipal needs. (An acre foot is roughly the amount of water necessary to meet the culinary needs of a family of four.)
The new dam would also create fishing and camping opportunities for the public, according to bureau documents.
A major problem with the dam, however, is cost. The Sanpete water district, which does not have $16 million, has applied with the bureau for a small loan. The district hopes that its continued support of the massive Central Utah Project will increase its chances to get financing or grants.
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Additional Information
Hearings set
Two public hearings on the proposed dam on Gooseberry Creek above Scofield Reservoir have been scheduled:
- Wednesday, March 30, Carbon County Courthouse, 185 E. Main, Price; 7 p.m. - Thursday, March 31, Mt. Pleasant city office, 115 W. Main, Mt. Pleasant; 7 p.m.