By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
An agreement which is up for consideration by the Mona City Council and Houewling's Tomato Plant, and would allow temporary use of Mona City culinary water, brought out 15 concerned Mona residents last Tuesday evening.
The result of comments made by those 15 residents was that the Mona City Council will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. on Tuesday November 25, in the Mona City Council Room to take comment on a proposal for a Temporary Water Service Contract for Houweling.
Brenda Newton asked how those who did not have email could get a copy of the draft agreement to review.
"The temporary water agreement draft copies handed out tonight can be taken home," said Jeff Hearty, council member.
Other copies will be available at the city hall, and on the city website at monarocks.org. Some copies had been emailed to city council members and city staff members.
While the agreement was still a work in progress, according to Hearty, it could still be discussed.
"We can talk concepts," he said.
He said the agreement would only last until March 31. Houweling was hoping to have plants in the ground by December 1, 2014, just a couple of weeks away.
Those plants would need water. Houweling, the producer of tomatoes, has requested the city provide a temporary water supply lasting no longer than March 31, 2015, to the greenhouse to assist in its start-up operations until Houweling's water lines can be completed
The public is invited to attend and provide comments to council members at the upcoming public hearing. All interested persons will be given an opportunity to be heard.
The notice will be posted at the Mona City Office, at the United States Post Office, Mona Branch, Gaydene's Sweet Art, and will be published on the Utah State Website and in the Nephi Times News.
If there are questions or comments prior to the hearing, please contact Council member Jeffrey Hearty: jeffhearty@gmail.com
Lyla R. Spencer, Mona City Recorder, said she would post the notice of the public hearing so that residents will have time to plan to attend.
"Why would we even consider allowing them to use our water?" asked Jana Crawford.
Hearty said that the tomato-growing facility had already been approved by the state engineer and the company could begin drilling water close to the city's culinary water well and that action could have a direct effect on lowering the water in the aquifer where the city water was being pumped.
By agreeing to move their well further away from that site, they had slowed the process of getting culinary-grade water for use at the plant.
Casey Houweling, owner of the business, said the greenhouse had originally planned to use water from PacifiCorp and had the right to drill a well and that would have been sufficient to meet the needs of the plant.
"We are a family operation," said Houweling.
For that reason, they waned to have a positive relationship with the community and wanted to do what was best for Mona City residents as well as the plant.
That decision would reduce the water pulled from the aquifer by 80 percent because the water being pulled from that source had been purchased from a farmer and was being used for agriculture. An industrial use, which was what the tomato greenhouse was considered, was different from an agricultural use, he said, in the view of the state.
"The application is in to take the water from the other site," said Houweling. "We are purchasing water from a farmer rather than leasing it from PacifiCorp."
The approval will take some time to receive, although the assurance was that it would be approved in the long run. However, Houweling is under a deadline to obtain water for the plant so that they can begin planting, growing and harvesting tomatoes according to plan.
The state would approve the well right for the plant at 55 percent less than it had approved the agricultural right, he said.
"The state will only allow us to pump at 55 percent when we change from agricultural use to industrial use," he said.
The company must run a pipeline to the property once the approval is given. Moving the well further away, Houweling said, and purchasing the water right was much more expensive for the company than if they had just gone ahead and drilled on the site approved even if it were close to the city well.
"PacifiCorp can still drill on that site," said Molli Graham, council member. "That is out of our hands."
Houweling and PacifiCorp are both on the approved application to obtain water for use by drilling from the previously approved well site.
"Their name (Houweling) is on the change order," said Hearty.
Houweling said the company had not removed their name from the approved application pending the state engineer's decision.
"Going to the Brooks Well will cost us $3 million more than we had planned," he said. "We chose that route because there was a lot less impact."
