In the beginning of February, six potential concepts that were developed by the Upper Price River Watershed Plan-EIS study team were introduced in order to address the identified purpose and need of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
These included a new regulating reservoir, a new storage reservoir, changes to the management of Scofield Reservoir, obtaining additional water, the storage of additional water in a closed coal mine and water conservation. Following the introduction of the potential concepts, each were screened to determine whether it was feasible and reasonable to develop them.
The feasibility of each concept was weighed by whether or not they could be built as a matter of sound engineering judgement and the reasonability was judged on whether the concept had unacceptable environmental impacts or astronomical costs. The concepts that were determined to be both reasonable and feasible advanced for additional screening to determine whether they met the project’s purpose and need.
On Tuesday morning, it was announced that the results of the screening purpose showed that two general concepts were advanced to develop location-specific alternatives. These were a new storage reservoir and water storage in coal mines.
These concepts, according to the screening, were determined to be both feasible and reasonable as well as having the potential to meet the identified purpose and need of the EIS. Since these studies and discoveries, the study team has developed a list of possible location-specific alternatives within the two concept categories.
Above is a preliminary list of alternatives that will need further evaluation on a location-specific basis in order to determine the feasibility and ability to address the purpose, as well as the need, of the project.