American Fork to hold town hall on metered irrigation water rates

American Fork will hold a town hall Tuesday, Oct. 20, from 6 to 8 p.m. at historic City Hall, 31 Church St., to explain metering of its pressurized irrigation system and a new rate structure, the city said in a post on its website. ^[1]

Under the current system, every pressurized irrigation customer pays the same flat rate regardless of how much water they use. The new structure combines a base rate, meant to cover operations, maintenance and debt payments, with tiered usage charges that depend on lot size and how much water a customer actually uses. ^[1]

The city said the change is meant to reflect the true cost of delivering water and to encourage conservation, with lower rates for efficient users. Rather than impose the full increase at once, the city chose to phase it in over five years so residents can adjust their systems. ^[1]

The rates grew out of a study by the water engineering firm Bowen Collins & Associates, which the city presented to the City Council. American Fork said residents will be able to use an online utilities dashboard through its Yoppify portal to see their usage, find their rate tier and lot-size group, and compare bills under the new rates. ^[1]