Highland-area water officials warn of dry runoff year; pressurized irrigation metering and tiered rates planned
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Summary
Water officials told the council that snowpack and river flows are well below median for the American Fork/Provo-Jordan basin, warned of a dry spring runoff, and described plans including targeted conservation, pressurized-irrigation metering, a possible later PI start, and a tiered rate structure to encourage savings.
Highland-area water managers told the City Council on March 3 they expect a below-average runoff year and urged residents to conserve while city staff finalizes pressurized-irrigation (PI) metering and proposed tiered rates.
Ernie (water manager) and consultant Tavis Timothy reviewed SNOTEL and USGS data showing low snow-water-equivalent and river-flow figures for the American Fork and related drainages, with some stations at historic lows. Ernie said late snow and warm low-elevation conditions mean runoff may not arrive until mid-May; that will reduce available river flow for PI and increase reliance on stored allocations and supplemental sources.
The staff presentation previewed three policy options: (1) additional conservation outreach and a public-education year as meters come online; (2) potential changes to the PI season start date (tradeoffs include concentrated initial demand and irrigation behavior); and (3) a tiered rate structure that rewards conservation (tier 1 at roughly 70–75% of allotment) and charges progressively higher rates for top-tier users. Ernie advocated a high top-tier price to drive conservation and minimize system stress.
Staff said the city already completed an initial service-line inventory for drinking water and will validate a subsample of pressurized-irrigation service records as required by recent federal rules. The council directed staff to continue outreach and return with proposed rate options, models of household impacts and an implementation timeline before rates would take effect for the 2027 irrigation season.
“Education this year will be key,” Ernie said; staff also recommended trial dashboards and outreach to help residents see individual usage and identify leaks before rates change.
No binding policy was adopted at the meeting; staff will bring detailed rate proposals, modeled bills, and grant/assistance options back to council in future sessions.