By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Houweling's Utah, the company planning to build a new, environmentally friendly greenhouse tomato farm near Mona, sent out a feeler to see what could be worked out with the community on a win/win water delivery system.
"They are still working on pending agreements to obtain water for the greenhouse tomato farm," said Rick Carlton, Juab County commissioner. "They have not disclosed those sources as yet."
He said, however, that the state did grant the company $500,000 to build a water line from the source to the greenhouse.
The funding for the water project was among the incentives offered by the state to bring the greenhouse to Juab County and Utah.
Greg Newton, Mona mayor, said he had recently received an email from George Robertson, representing Houweling's Utah, which had included a map that he shared with Mona City Council members.
"The attached map shows two potential points of diversion and pipeline routing options," said Robertson in the email. "If Mona City needs to complete a loop in its water system, maybe we can work something out."
However, the options disclosed on the included map may have the one proposal located too closely to the city's culinary well.
"No one is supposed to be able to drill in Zone 3 of a culinary well," said Allen Pay, city water master.
"The well to the south, option B, is owned by Randy Brooks," said Robertson. "It is built to culinary standards. We are currently doing a water analysis. If that checks out we will do a video analysis and pump test. Our water consultant tells us that well could be a good option since it is a known source."
The well, owned by Brooks, was built to culinary standard.
Option A is at the Nebo substation and is PacifiCorp's preference for location of a new well. That well, he said, would be built to culinary standards.
"We have to obtain approval from PacifiCorp if we do anything other than the Nebo substation option," said Robertson. "However, I believe they will work with us to alter our plans if there are benefits to Mona City."
He said he knew that the greenhouse would need to comply with public water system regulations but did not see that as a problem.
Newton wondered if the giant tomato-growing facility officials were trying to benefit the community and were just trying to be good neighbors.
"Would we need to participate in the cost of a line?" asked Jeff Hearty, council member.
Bill Mills, former mayor of Mona, said he, before being replaced in the mayoral position, had received many emails from the company. However, the plans had undergone many changes over the period that the plant location had been discussed.
There would also be considerations, said Hearty, of where the culinary line would travel through the community. It would need to follow the utility corridor of the city and roads, when damaged, would need to be rebuilt and not just repaired.
"What we really need," said Lynn Ingram, city planning commission director, "is a franchise agreement."
A franchise agreement is a special privilege to do certain things that is conferred by government on an individual or a corporation and which does not belong to citizens generally of common right, e.g., a right granted to offer Cable Television service.
The consideration that is given by a person or corporation in order to receive a franchise from the government can be an agreement to pay money, to bear some burden, or to perform a public duty. The primary objective of all grants of franchises is to benefit the public; the rights or interests of the grantee, the franchisee, are secondary.
The greenhouse will be heated with waste heat from nearby Currant Creek Power Plant just outside Mona. The natural gas fired 525-MW electrical generation facility will enable Houweling to operate with a very low carbon footprint.
Houweling's Tomatoes will utilize waste CO2 off the generators' stack to provide CO2 fertilization to tomato crops.
Currant Creek Power Plant is owned and operated by PacifiCorp Energy and Rocky Mountain Power will be supplying the power for the greenhouses.
Houweling's Tomatoes of Delta, B.C., has completed an independent non-GMO certification in part because some customers thought their hothouse tomatoes were "too perfect" to be natural.
The creation of the Utah facility will lead to $18,160,900 in new state taxes and $267,891,773 in new state wages. The jobs created with this expansion will pay at least 100 percent of the Juab County average wage. The announced project will require $79 million in capital investment and will be carried out in two phases. The first phase, comprised of 28.3 acres, is projected to generate annual sales of about $23.3 million.
"GOED, Houweling and Juab County have worked over the last year to bring this innovative farm to Juab County," said Carlton.
Houweling's Tomatoes comprises Houweling Nurseries Oxnard Inc. in southern California and Houweling Nurseries Ltd. in Delta, British Columbia. The group consists of two greenhouse facilities that grow and sell fresh greenhouse tomatoes. The company currently employs 750 people.
Each company operates autonomously, but under common ownership of the Houweling family. The group intends to follow this pattern and create a separate legal entity for its Utah operations.
Founded by Cornelius Houweling and now led by his son Casey, Houweling's is dedicated to delivering a full complement of scrumptious, local grown tomatoes, while constantly innovating to reduce its environmental footprint.
