Gary Sonntag started working for Price City during one of the wettest years in Utah history. In 1983, spring runoff flowed like a river down State Street in Salt Lake City, and the Thistle Mudslide dammed the Spanish Fork River which inundated the town, along with the D&RGW Railroad, and U.S. Highways 6 and 89.
Runoff from the heavy snowpack damaged some infrastructure in Scofield, and the strong flow of muddy water in the Price River threatened the PRWID diversion structure and overwhelmed the treatment plant.
Also that year, ground was broken for the Bunnell-Dmitrich Athletic Center; The Carbon Hospital Reactivation Corp. was working to reopen the old hospital; a slush fund scandal rocked the Price Police Department and resulted in Chief William Cossaboom being fired by Price Mayor Art Martines.
Sonntag was originally hired as Price City Engineer and briefly shared an office at City Hall before moving to the “Domes” Public Works Complex. He was promoted to Public Works Director in 1997, supervising more than three dozen employees in the department. He said he essentially did both jobs until Russell Seeley came on board as City Engineer in 2009. Sonntag said it was difficult doing both jobs, but, “This stuff is fun for me and that’s why I’m involved in this sort of business.”
In an interview with the Sun Advocate, Sonntag focused on water, but said public works in Price consist of all interconnecting services for the public at large: water, sewer and street systems, storm drainage, fleet and equipment maintenance, utilities, parks and cemeteries. He says the public works department, “sustains the services that people rely on and we try to resolve the issues and problems that come up.”
‘Every 10 years, plus or minus two years, we’re going to have a significant drought.’
During his tenure with the city, Sonntag has seen both wet and dry periods, including the benchmark year of 1992 when the grate at the bottom of Scofield Reservoir near the dam was left exposed by the receding water level. Mandatory restrictions on watering were imposed that year, but according to Sonntag, “People ended up using more water. They watered whether they had to water or not, and it used up more water.” That experience was taken into consideration when Price City opted not to impose restrictions this year and instead, asked for voluntary water conservation measures.
Sonntag said because of where we are in the world, an arid desert at a higher elevation, “About every ten years, plus or minus two years, we’re going to have a significant drought. So geographically, we’re at a disadvantage.” But he also believes the weather patterns are changing. “Since the time I’ve been alive on this Earth, they have changed dramatically. I can remember the way it used to snow when I was a little kid- huge difference.” Sonntag adds, “This climate stuff they’re talking about, I think it’s all too real.”
More efficient water conservation
In the future, Sonntag predicts that more efficient and advanced water conservation methods will be necessary. Presently, as much as 50 percent of the water flow in irrigation canals is lost to evaporation, vegetation, and seepage. That loss could be minimized through piping canals all the way from the river diversion structures to the point of irrigation, and also employing the use of electronic metering and valving systems.
Price is fortunate to have a drinking water supply from Colton Springs, Sonntag said, calling it, “An ample, reliable source of class A, excellent, pure water that requires no treatment at all.” He said the aquifer that feeds the springs has been never been depleted, but it goes up and down depending on the weather and snowpack, and it takes time to fully replenish- as much as one or two years after a drought.
‘There’s a lot to do. It’ll be ongoing for years and years and years. There’s just so much.’
Sonntag said the Price City Council is proactive, and the city has an ongoing Capital Improvement Plan. The plan looks ahead five years, ten years, and 20 years, to consider replacement or new installation in the public works system. He says the city tries to anticipate and upgrade facilities and infrastructure on a systematic basis, depending on how much money is available through the Community Impact Board and other sources. “There’s a lot to do. It’ll be ongoing for years and years and years- there’s just so much,” said Sonntag. The next fairly sizable project will be funded by a CIB loan and will involve replacing a sewer line under 400 North, and replacing a water line under 400 South.
Looking back, Sonntag says there have been a lot of great projects over the course of his career, including the Wave Pool, a ten million gallon water tank and a 12-mile transmission line. But the one that stands out is the river diversion project at the water treatment plant. He recalls, “I surveyed it. I designed it. I drafted it. I managed the construction. I did everything, and it just is ingrained into me.”
Small population, small revenue base
Public works departments in rural areas and smaller cities face greater challenges, because the population base and the revenue base is smaller. Sonntag points out, “For every ten things they have to do in Salt Lake, they have ten people to do those ten things. For every ten things that we have to do in Price, we have one person to do those ten things. That’s the difference. We perform a greater share individually than they do on the Wasatch Front. You have to wear more hats in order to bring about government and the services government is expected to deliver.”
Sonntag has high praise for the public works team, declaring, “The people I work with are excellent. In all the years I’ve been around, I’ve never seen it better. The caliber of people and the things we’ve been able to accomplish is great.”
Price has a bright future as Sonntag sees it- also partly because of where we are geographically. He says Price has an advantage over some other small communities because it is a crossroads transportation wise. It has major highway systems. It has a railroad. It has tourism. It has mineral and cultural resources, “and the college is a big, big deal- not only as a resource but as an employment base, too.”
‘For every 10 things they have to do in Salt Lake, they have 10 people to do those 10 things. For every 10 things that we have to do in Price, we have one person to do those 10 things..’
Sonntag had some parting words: “In no uncertain terms, it has been an opportunity for me to work here. I don’t take things for granted, and I tried to do my part every step of the way to show my worth and to give something back. Price City is an ideal rural community that I would stack up against any other rural community as far as its high capacity to deliver in terms of public works, amongst some other stuff, to make life here enjoyable.”
After living in Price for 38 years, Sonntag and his wife plan to move out of the area to be closer to their six kids and 15 grandchildren. They will also serve an LDS mission to Calgary, Canada. He reflected, “We made our home here. We raised our kids here. They went to local schools here, and they all graduated from CEU and went on to Utah State University. Now they’re making their way in life. I guess you could say we’re empty nesters.”