Daggett County weighs charging for arena watering, considers permanent irrigation

Daggett County commissioners on April 15, 2025 discussed whether to charge non‑county groups for watering the county rodeo arena and whether to install a permanent irrigation system to reduce overtime and equipment costs. County Road Department supervisor Sean Hughes told the commission he would provide an estimate of watering costs for the next meeting.

The issue began when a junior rodeo group and a roping school asked the county to water the arena. "They asked me to water that and I just wanted to see what you guys thought, if I should water the arena for that or not," Hughes said during the meeting. Commissioners and staff debated whether the county should provide watering for any outside group or limit it to county‑sponsored events.

Why it matters: Commissioners said providing watering for outside events creates recurring labor and equipment expenses and can require overtime pay for staff when events fall on holidays or weekends. A commissioner noted the June 19 event in question falls on a Friday and Saturday and "it still be overtime because it's on a Friday Saturday." Hughes told the commission to "plan on about an hour and a half per load," and that most users request three loads to wet the arena for an event.

Hughes described the logistics and water source. "No. We we get it out of the canal. So it's actually and we have we have a permit to get it out of the lake, but right now, we just get it out of the canal after it's off to waste," he said. He also said the county has two water trucks and "1 water truck that fits in there arena," but both are not always immediately available, which complicates scheduling and response time for last‑minute requests.

Commissioners discussed two policy approaches: (1) require non‑county events to cover the direct costs of watering (wages, equipment, and overtime) through the event reservation process, or (2) invest in a low‑volume, permanent sprinkler system built into the arena fencing to allow event organizers limited self‑service watering and reduce staff time. Hughes and other participants noted that installing a system would likely require a pump to achieve adequate pressure and that design help could be available from outside county staff.

Action and next steps: Hughes said he would prepare an estimate of the cost to water the arena (including typical truck loads and overtime) and present it at next week—s meeting. A commissioner also suggested adding a question to the arena reservation application asking whether watering is requested and arranging for non‑county events to pay a line item for the service if approved.

The discussion did not produce a formal policy change at the April 15 meeting; commissioners directed staff to return with cost and logistics estimates to inform any future decision.