By Melinda Pillsbury-Foster
A meeting in East Carbon on June 13 resulted in renewed community interest in the uses of water controlled by the city. Attendees brought up related issues, including water shares and other problems in recent years related to water rights.
The meeting brought out a large contingent of local residents to comment and share information on a range of issues, which to attendees provided a history of water use in the East Carbon area. Concerns expressed included once-active springs and wells, which are now nearly dry, among other issues.
The project is now funded through the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA). This is the primary federal law that regulates the environmental effects of abandoned coal mining in the United States. SMCRA created two programs: one for regulating active coal mines and a second for reclaiming abandoned mine lands.
Work on this additional system, to be carried out by Trent Brown, Project Manager of Sunrise Engineering, invited questions and information on water rights to be directed to him. These will be compiled in advance of changes in the original plan using local input.
Several more meetings may be scheduled to ensure all questions are addressed, so look for updates, and call if you have concerns of further information for the Grassy Trail Waterline Project – AMR/007/950/L.
Utah’s Environmental Scientist and Project Manager, Katie Potter, can be reached by email at kepotter@utah.gov or by phone at (385) 454-0921. Brown’s email and phone numbers are tbrown@sunrise-eng.com, (435) 201-6703 and (435) 896-7613.