Board staff recommend loans to pressurize Coop Farm and Huntsville Southbench irrigation systems

Division of Water Resources staff outlined two linked irrigation modernization proposals that staff say will pressurize and replace aging open canal infrastructure for Coop Farm Irrigation Company and Huntsville Southbench Canal Company.

Ethan Stayner, presenting the Coop Farm application, said the Coop’s portion of the combined work totals $1,994,000 and would replace roughly 18,400 feet of aging concrete pipe and open canal with HDPE pipe and a new diversion structure about 4 miles east of Huntsville in Weber County. Staff cited benefits including elimination of open-canal risk near residential areas, reduced seepage and evaporation losses, and replacement of roughly 50-year-old infrastructure. "The Board of Water Resources cost share on this one would only be 17.5 percent, which comes to $348,000," Stayner said.

Bradley Caldwell presented the Huntsville Southbench portion and described the companies’ cost-sharing arrangement: Huntsville Southbench would pay about 30 percent of Coop’s conveyance costs because the upper diversion and long pipeline serve both systems. Caldwell said grants from the Bureau of Reclamation and the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food support the combined project. "These improvements will enhance water efficiency, lower operational costs, and extend service to previously unserviced acres," Caldwell said.

Board members asked staff clarifying questions about pending grants and metering. Stayner told the board a Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) grant decision is expected in June; if the UDAF grant is not awarded, Stayner said the applicants "are gonna come to the board for" additional funding. On metering, staff confirmed the systems will meter new connections and noted a state statute requires metering of pressurized systems.

Staff recommendation and next steps

Staff recommended the board authorize a 17.5 percent cost share on the Coop Farm portion (up to $348,000) at 0 percent interest over 15 years with annual payments of about $23,200, and recommended contract terms for the Huntsville Southbench share consistent with the combined application. The transcript records the staff recommendation but does not record a formal motion or vote on these authorizations during the briefing meeting.

Context

The two applications were submitted separately but presented together because they share conveyance infrastructure upstream of a split point. Board members and staff discussed contingency plans if the UDAF grant is not awarded, and clarified that, for loan conditions, the board is updating guidelines that could incorporate increased conservation measures and metering requirements.

Ending

Staff said they will return to the board if grant outcomes change project cost-sharing needs. No formal board action or vote on these staff recommendations is recorded in the briefing transcript.