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Central Iron County outlines reuse and recharge project to capture winter flows and save roughly 1,500 acre‑feet annually
Summary
Central Iron County Water Conservancy District presented a reuse and recharge project that will treat effluent to a higher class and divert it for public and agricultural use; phase 1 funded by ARPA and local partners produces about 1,500 acre‑feet of conserved water with additional phases planned and a total transmission need of about $11.4M.
Central Iron County Water Conservancy District staff and local officials described a reuse and recharge initiative in Cedar Valley that converts treated effluent to higher quality for public and agricultural reuse and supports basin recharge.
Paul Monroe, representing the Central Iron County Water Conservancy District, said the project will treat wastewater to a higher reuse standard (moving from a type 2 effluent to type 1 in the presenter’s description) so it can irrigate municipal public areas, golf courses and cemeteries and be diverted to agricultural pivots rather than allowed to evaporate on playa. Monroe said phase 1 is nearly complete and will produce about 1,500 acre‑feet of reused water; future work includes a storage reservoir and transmission improvements estimated at about $11.4 million for distribution improvements.
Monroe said the district used American Rescue Plan Act funds (ARPA) and local contributions from Enoch City, Cedar City and the district for phase 1, and has obtained additional grants and state funds (including a Department of Agriculture Ag Optimization award and other state water resources support) to support subsequent phases. Monroe said the project was motivated in part by hydrologic deficits in Cedar Valley — the district estimates it currently uses about 7,000 acre‑feet more per year than the basin’s natural yield — and by state interest in reuse projects outside the Great Salt Lake watershed.
Commission members asked questions about hydrologic connectivity, acreage supported and funding. Monroe and staff said local duty in the basin is about 4 acre‑feet per irrigated acre; Monroe estimated the reuse volume could support roughly 400 acres of additional agricultural service in the district if diverted to ag pivots, with a full storage and transmission build‑out planned for a later phase.
Commissioners expressed appreciation and said reuse projects, when sited outside the Great Salt Lake watershed and implemented carefully, can be a meaningful part of local conservation and recharge strategies. The commission did not take formal action on the presentation.
