#EM2019 – Candidate Question – Water Supply Contract

Question: What strategy would you use for fulfilling Eagle Mountain’s CWP contract with CUWCD? Editor’s Note: CWP is the Central Water Project and CUWCD is the Central Utah Water Conservancy District. I intentionally used acronyms in the question to gauge the knowledge and research ability of the candidates. The amendment to the agreement in 2017 can be found here: https://drive.google.com/

Ben Porter

As far as I know, this is no longer an issue. There is enough demand for the water we are contracted for, so it is no longer a problem for the city. As a principle I would be very careful about entering into contracts. Sometimes you need to roll the dice a bit and make a guess at which way the wind is blowing, but generally speaking I favor responsible, minimalist government (not a comment on whether the CWP contract is inconsistent with this. I was not privy to enough details to make a determination there).

Rich Wood

This is an issue of being water smart. I believe our city has done quite well in meeting the parameters set by the agreement. Enforcing it in the future will always depend on how it fits the city’s needs and whether it is feasible. No question it will require good data being provided to the council so that it can be regularly evaluated. I do think it was a good agreement when it was made.

Colby Curtis

Our CWP water contract is a contract that entitles us to a certain amount of water shares from Central Utah Water Conservancy District and requires that we also pull the water down on a schedule. A previous council entered the contract to ensure we had enough water for future generations. However, the contract also serves as a liability in that if we cannot use what we have agreed to, we must still pay for the water. The strategy thus far to fulfil the contract has been to attract companies that can use the water we cannot and pay on the contract for us This is a delicate balance…nobody wants large amounts of water to be used, but per contract, a certain amount must be used and paid for. Facebook and Tyson are helping us with that water contract and are both paying in full for the water shares they are purchasing. If we had not attracted companies that were water users (though both are very reasonable and conservative in their water use within their industries) then the city would have to use the city general fund to pay the CWP bill.

Devyn Smith

When the contract was renegotiated a few years ago, the obligation to pay was pushed a few years down the road. We need to take a hard look at the budget and see what can be done to make this payment before it comes due. We should also continue to look at selling some of our excess CWP to economic development projects and other cities who contract with the Central Utah Water Conservancy District.

Jared Gray

There are lots of ways this could go. Some have wanted to sale out completely, others postpone for later arrangements. I personally feel we will need this water, and will do what it takes to minimize the burden on the citizens of Eagle Mountain, while keeping the contract how we can. Our administration is tasked to get us the best deal possible, bring us some options, then as council we would make the best decision possible with the information presented.

Carolyn Love

This contract with CUWCD was a gamble when the city entered into it. They were able to lock in the price of the water but were also required to pay for the water even if it wasn’t used. It has been a benefit as the water that was purchased made it possible to develop land within the city. The contract has been fulfilled and the city will be purchasing more to meet upcoming needs.