Council hears canyon water could hit 92-year low, agrees to ask residents not to water before May 1
March 30, 2021, 4:00 p.m. · Electronic meeting
Meeting electronically, the American Fork City Council heard that snowpack feeding the city's pressurized irrigation system was 40-50% of normal and that the city may get only half its Deer Creek water. Council members agreed to ask residents and large water users to voluntarily wait until May 1 to start sprinklers, and staff said metering is the long-term fix, with $6 million budgeted for it. The council also previewed fiscal 2022 utility budgets with no water or sewer rate increases.
From the approved minutes.
Decisions at a glance
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| Drought outlook and irrigation conservation | Discussed |
| Fiscal 2022 utility fund budgets | Discussed |
Agenda, item by item
Item 1 · Roads and utilities
Drought outlook and irrigation conservation
Discussed
Consultants Ernie John and John Schiess said Utah County is in exceptional drought, snowpack is 40-50% of normal and canyon flows could be the lowest in 92 years; the city used about 12,500 acre-feet of irrigation water in 2020 and expects only about half its 1,300 acre-feet of Deer Creek water, though full CUP water. The PI system was designed for 6 gallons per minute per acre and residents use about 8. Staff and consultants said metering is the only real fix, along with aquifer recharge and reuse water from the sewer plant. Council members agreed to ask residents and large users to voluntarily hold off watering until May 1, backed by a public campaign; staff is drafting a five-level water shortage plan. Staff described smart meters with a $100 rebate for smart controllers.
Item 2 · Budget
Fiscal 2022 utility fund budgets
Discussed
Finance Officer Anna Montoya previewed utility budgets with no rate increases except sanitation. Culinary water: $15 million of the water bond drawn and about $7 million carried forward, $8.5 million for water projects and $1.2 million for annual improvements; the bond is 30 years at 1%. Pressurized irrigation: $3 million approved for metering carried into FY22 plus $3 million more (about 60% of total cost), and a $1.5 million Bureau of Reclamation grant carried forward. Sewer: about $800,000 held for replacement. Storm drain: equity is negative against a rate study's $1.4 million-a-year recommendation. Sanitation: a 2% increase under the contract's CPI cap, plus an extra garbage pass punch (about $100,000) because the Timpanogos Special Service District stopped taking green waste, leaving about a $90,000 deficit.
- Budget$6.00 million
- Budget$8.50 million