By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Mona's water master has some concerns about the future
adequacy of the culinary water supply.
As water master, Allen Pay said one of his job
requirements was that he was to educate the council
regarding the water system.
"We have got to be a water conservation-conscious
people," said Pay. He said there were two issues which
concerned him about the water system and the projections
which had been made concerning water use.
One of those was that the city had no control over
irrigation water.
"That irrigation water can be sold, transferred, done
whatever with," he said. "You don't really have a control on
that so how can you add this into the figure that you can
sell more water rights against and how can you add more
connections to the figure."
That could not happen until the city actually owned
natural shares. If enough shares were purchased by the city
to supplement what the city was obligated to five the
school, for example, the city didn't have any control.
If the secondary system belonged to the city, it would
be great. It was not deeded to the city.
"No, it isn't, but its got to stay inside that map
variation," said Pat Painter.
Pay said he was still uncomfortable with the situation
the way it is. Until water is deeded to the city the water
can be transferred, bought, or sold. Since it is not tied to
the city, council members should not use the water to
alleviate the city's obligation.
"What I am afraid of is, if water is not there or is
taken away, the taps are going to go dry. Then it will be an
eminent domain issue."
The water will be taken for the community at a fair
market value and those in town, will end up paying, not the
developers.
"In talking with Phil Lowery, city attorney,
yesterday, he agreed that until you have control of
irrigation water or until it's deeded to the town, the water
can be taken away from us at any time so you really can't
claim that water."
He said he was also concerned about the figures
Franson and Noble, the firm which made the projection study,
had arrived at.
Pay said he remembered the projections made by the
engineering team, when the water system was studied prior to
adding well rights to the water system, indicated that
27,000 gallons were needed for each one-half acre lot. That
amounted to 8,000 gallons for in-door use and 19,000 gallons
for outdoor use.
However, Pay said the average hookup uses 64,000
gallons of water per year.
Another problem, he said, was that water could not be
stored in such a way that water could be saved for dry
months.
"You have only so much storage capacity in your tank,"
said Pay. "The figures for July showed me that we were going
to run out of water and yet we still thought we had
connections to sell."
In 2000, he said, the city paid for 195 acre foot or
63,000,000 gallons of water to the irrigation company for
water that came through the spring into the city system.
The city purchased only 128 acre foot of well right
water and was under capacity there.
All water coming into the system was metered but not
all water going out of the system was not monitored.
Nevertheless, the storage tank needed to be kept above
the half-way mark in order to preserve the needed amount for
fire protection.
"So between the top of the tank and your fire
protection level, which is approximately 10 feet down, is
the only thing you've got to take up the gap at high
demand," Pay said. "At midnight there's hardly any water
used. As soon as everybody gets up in the morning, it goes
way down and then the well kicks on and takes over, then
your spill water is going down the ditch."
Water rights, through the spring used for culinary
water, are measured in gallons per minute. The usage,
therefore, was 240 gallons per minute.
When the tank goes down below the approximate half-way
mark the pre-set valves open and allow the 240 gallons per
minute to flow into the storage tank until it has water
enough to fill without overflowing.
"If we over-shoot the storage capacity then you've
lost your 240 gallons, it goes down the ditch," he said.
"You've lost your opportunity to store that water."
In addition, the storage tank can hold the water
needed for the community but it is only capable of holding
water if there is water to hold.
"The storage capacity is only good for so much," said
Pay. "You have to take the water at the time that it's
available to you. You're not getting the full amount of the
water you could because the only way to get all of the water
at the time is to have a larger storage tank which is
impractical."
Water can be taken out of the aquifer, from a well,
but the water cannot be saved to be used later because there
is no place to store it.
In the month of July 2001, Mona used all of their
allotted 240 gallons per minute of spring water plus 55 acre
foot was pumped from the well of the possible allowable 124
acre foot.
In 2000, there were leaks and other problems which
allowed water to be lost. However, most of those leaks had
been repaired. The water piping system was being repaired
and pipe replaced in an on-going upgrade of the system.
The irrigation company has been charging the city for
the extra water used during a season on a per gallon
basis.
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