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Show yj l 11 1th Year -- No. 37 i . Water flow, control pose complex issue Gas well drilling site compensation debate resurfaces at meeting By RICHARD SHAW ' Staff reporter -- . Hie debate over compensa- tion for residents who own sur-face rights to gas wellsites in the flared up again at the Car-bon Commission meeting last - Wednesday night. While the issue has been sim- mering for years, there is noth- ing the commission can do about the rates that people are paid by oil companies who are drilling wells on their properties. The subject came up in the - Company, which is presently op- crating a number of wells in Car- bon County, was referred to the commission by the planning and .. I - The only control PRWID Scofield Reservoir would see wa- ter pouring out intd the river. The water in both situations - - seems tobe running freely down the river toward the Green and eventually the Colorado. If Carbon County is in the . years or more, Some citizens say other com- panics not only pay more initially, but also pay ayearly fee or some-zonitimes a royalty on the production of the well, Huber officials have disputed that claim and say that most com-panies operate just like they do, with similar amounts of compen-ii-c sation. The discussion heated up at the meeting when Johnson told the commissioners that, instead of the 20 sites the company wanted approved in the second . . Auto fire brings out emergency crews A Price city police officer uses an extinguisher to put out an apparent electrical fire in a motor vehicle as the distraught car owner stands nearby. The officer had the blaze almost.extinguished before fire crews arrived at item on the agenda, Huber wanted to cut the number back to 17 because of some probr (Continued on page 3A) . middle of one of the worst droughts in years, how can the river be so foil? Why isnt the water being kept in the reservoir for later use? The answer to the questions is very complicated. It is not simply a matter of one person or one group of citizens controlling what goes on, but a number of entities with various agendas to meet in connection with the water supply. Sometimes when people see the water rushing down the river, they wonder what these various agencies are thinking. Because the Price River Water Improvement District is the largest culinary consumer of water in the th the districts winter operations. The water we lease from Utah Power & Light during the winter saves on our water in the reservoir so it can be used during the summer, points out the district representative. Palmer projects that oyer the next six montlu PRWID will use about 1,500 acre feet of water to supply it's customers. This means not only its direct customere but also to other small water companies that it supplies within the county. Economic growth is one of the main issues that most Carbon County residents are concerned' about. There are a lot Of factors that contribute or take away from growth and one of the most important Is water. If an industry - wants to move into the area the water district that provides water. to that industry must have enough to do so. For some industries that is a great deal for others it is not. . The fact is that any growth in the area Is tied to the amount of county some blame them for what appears to be waste. What people need to remember is that much of the water they see coming down the river right now is from the White River drainage where the snow pack is , melting and there is no dam to stop the flow, explains Phil the scene. Motor vehicle fires are more common than many Carbon County residents may think with decaying wires or improper installation of electrical parts being some of the most common causes. . Palmer District Manager for PRWID. Also remember PRWID is not responsiblefor . how much water is being released from the dam at any given time either. Most citizens probably think one agency or another Is responsible for the dam and the reser- " voir, but there are multiple groups of people that have a hand in what happens with the way the . College of Eastern Utah students graduate during May 4 commencement . the main lot in front of the Athletic Center the fieWhouse on the Price campus were filled friends, extended changed people's parking habits, but did Tittle to dampen the spirits of stu- - family members and parents. For many students, graduating bom CEU was dents and families attending graduation exercises last Saturday at College of - only the first step toward higher degrees. For others, securing certification, was Eastern Utah in Price. Hundreds of students filed into the BMC to receive a culmination of hard work and the students will now enter the labor market, certificates of completion and college diplomas, while the bleachers around . trained and prepared to start working at a variety of jobs. Construction in Bunnell-Dmitri- ch witti-prou- . . . water available. Even borne hookups require that a certain amount of water is available before requests can be granted. We have to have a share of water for every home that wants to hook onto our system, states Palmer. Without those wc can- not allow a hookup. All a share guarantees is that as long as the water is there the person or organizations that dam is operated land with the water in Scofield. The dam is owned by the United States Bureau of Reclamation, a department of the federal government The reservoir is operated by the Carbon Whter Conservancy District. The conservancy district is the group that has been fighting Sanpete County for years on the potential diversion of water from the Carbon ride of the mountain. Next is the Carbon Water Users Association. The association is the group that actually determines the flow from the dam. The panel includes the organizations 6f the people who actually own shares of water stored behind the dam in Scofield Reservoir. The people who own the wa-tcall up the water useri and ask owns it can use it. - Palmer points out that most . homes do not use a full share of water in ayear.That means that ' there is a little water left over from each share which makes for kind of an insurance policy. PRWID was created in 1961 to help resolve water connection and delivery' problems in the county. Up until that time, the Price system provided water for a large portion of the county. But the ' (Continued on page 2A) er " Price River Water Improvement District representative. . has to how much water oomes out of the dam is when wc ask for our - water to be released for use? adds Palmer. -The district owns 3, (XX) acre feet of water in the reservoir that PRWID can have released. One acre foot of water is the same as one acre of ground covered by one fix of water or about 325,(XX) gallons. To many Carbon County residents, 3 JXX) acre feet may sound like a lot of water. But it is less one-tenof the storage in .. than Scofield Reservoir. OwningTs a rather strong term for indicating what PRWID or any other water owner has. All water is'really owned by the state, explains Palmer. We just get to use it. PRWID also leases water for Walking by the Price River, Carbon County residents may - wonder what all the talk of a drought is about In the same vein, local residents who stand on the dam at ng board for approval of 21 . 'v from' the Denver office of the company and the head of opera tions for this area. ' Specifically the issue that has been raised in the last few months . has to do with people, particu-count- y larly ranchers who own surface rights in areas where Huber is drilling. Some. Carbon citizens claim that other companies pay more money for their okay to come in and drill than Huber does. According to local sources, Huber pays a one time $300 to $400 fee to surface right owners ' forwellsthatmaybeinplace20 meeting when the JM Huber zone changes and conditional use permits in the Emma Park area located above Indian Canyon. While there was little partid- nation from citizens in the pub- hearing, the commissioners did have some real strong pointsto make with the Huber com- pany residents present And this me, unlike the last meeting where the problems were raised, Brian Wood was not the only Huber representative in atten- dance. Anumber of officialswere there, including Gary Johnson By RICHARD SHAW Staff reporter them to release the water they need, explains Phil Palmer, Price officials reorganizing departments developing power outage reporting system By KEN LARSON Sun Advocate publisher .r Summer storms sometimes mean power outages. The dty of has been busy working at eloping a' system on report ing power ' ently, officials reorga- nized Prices water and sewer departments, which included the citys electrical and metering services. The realignment has combined the services to form die public utilities department under the direction of Sam White, as supervisor. , .White points out that Price city administers the purchase of power. Price operates and manages the power system in the city limits. , : UtahFower&IJghtisrespoa-sibl- e for the power transmission system outside the city limits. The .compifiyjprovides work within the city limits for expansions, repairs and troubleshoot- - R COPY service may call the company ofing through a Price and Utah Power maintenance contract fice toll-fre- e at White wants the public to Any interruption of water, sewer or electrical services is an feel comfortable to call to verify emergency, according to White. problems, and not just wait for The following information service to be restored. Customers might not know may be helpful for local residents who need to report an electrical what company or public entity 'runs the power system and Price outage or emergency. For regular working hour's dty staff would like to be on-si- te emergencies, occurring from 8 for trouble shooting, points out a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through White. Ken Harney is Price citys Friday, Price citizens are asked to call the city offices at 637-501-0. electrical and metering manager. Harney is familiar with the sysFor after hours emergencies, tem and will offer customer serPrice residents may contact the vice. Carbon County Public Safety Minor problems can be solved Dispatch Center at by dty staff and Price personnel The dispatchers at the center will contact Utah Power service will contact the utility .where the or repairs, Mien needed. problem is occurring. The utiliCity personnel can secure a ties could indude the dty, Utah site if the power lines are down Power, Price River Water Imand inform customers of situa- provement District or Questar tion status, while redudng costs Gas. associated with UP&L service if ! Consumers needing to contact the companys crews were per-Utah Power regarding customer forming the duties. ft"' ' L ' ' . .A" 'r t. -- ? " - SS.'2,' ' 1 . ft 'd ."V. is . 637-089- 0. .... -- ' 'r t vs s .fc , - MMMMkaaaMlkM Extremely dry, drought conditions fuel grass fires in valley . A brash fire near -- -r I rVi " i 100 North in Price last Friday serves as a reminder that the Carbon County area is entering ifito a potential draught year. Brush Tires rapidly spread be- cause of extremely dry conditions and Castle Valley resi- - . ' dents should exercise caution at all times when burning outdoors. Common habits like throwing cigarette butts outside motor vehicle windows are extremely dhngerous acts during droutfit seasons. . |