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State water official urges Daniel to verify telemetry, add monthly source meter reads
Summary
A Division of Water Rights representative asked Daniel town staff to separate Storm Haven and town meters in billing software and to manually read three source meters monthly to verify telemetry-derived gallons-per-minute and peak-day demand required by state reviewers.
Brandon, a representative from the Utah Department of Natural Resources’ water unit, told the Daniel Town Council on May 5 that the town must improve how it reports water use to multiple state reviewers and to verify telemetry data with periodic manual reads. "All I'm encouraging you guys to do is read those meters,” Brandon said, urging monthly manual reads of the well and the east and west springs to compare with telemetry outputs.
Why it matters: State reviewers — including the Division of Drinking Water and the Division of Water Rights — use the annual billing-and-usage summary to evaluate peak-day demand, system capacity and storage requirements. Brandon said accurate source measurements help the town demonstrate its ability to serve current customers and justify eligibility for grants or system expansions.
What was proposed: Brandon recommended town staff set up two reporting routes in Polaris (one for Storm Haven and one for the town), categorize each connection (residential, commercial, industrial, institutional), and, where possible, backdate the categorized reports to 2020–2024. He specifically asked that staff read the pump-station and spring meters monthly to validate conversions from telemetry's gallons-per-minute to total volumes and the telemetry-derived peak-day calculation.
Council reaction and next steps: Council members pressed for clarification on enforcement and data use; Brandon cited Utah administrative rule R655-17 and the Miranda Decision/Order from the State Engineer as part of the reporting framework. The council agreed to work with staff to separate the routes in Polaris, to attempt to backdate reports, and to provide Brandon the requested 2020–2024 data once the categories are set up. Town staff will also evaluate whether to add a data logger to Storm Haven Well No. 2 and to test telemetry accuracy over multiple months before changing standard procedures.
How this affects residents: The recommendations are focused on source-meter verification and state reporting; household meter reads would remain the town’s normal monthly reads. If telemetry drift is found, staff said they would consider corrective steps that could include repairs, register replacement, or broader meter upgrades if funding is secured.
