Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Mount Pleasant braces for irrigation restrictions as Cox decree limits storage; city advances well and 500,000‑gallon tank plan
Loading...
Summary
City leaders warned residents that a century‑old adjudication known locally as the Cox decree prevents long‑term storage on Pleasant Creek, likely forcing two‑day irrigation limits this summer; the city says a newly acquired well and a proposed 500,000‑gallon tank could ease pressure if funding and pipeline upgrades are secured.
Mayor Mary Olson told residents at a town meeting that Mount Pleasant is likely to impose stricter irrigation restrictions this summer because of limited storage rights under the local adjudication commonly called the Cox decree. "The Cox decree does not allow us to have reservoirs on this end of the valley," Olson said, adding the decree limits storage to about 24–48 hours.
The nut graf: The restriction means visible creek flow does not equal usable water for the city—priority water rights, ditch companies and share allocations determine who can use streamflow. City and irrigation staff said the community has sufficient culinary water for household needs but not the capacity to support unlimited outdoor watering without risking shortages in peak summer months.
Water staff described how the system operates and why short storage matters. An agency official explained that daily weir measurements set the gallons‑per‑share allocations and that the city relies on night‑filled tanks to meet daytime demand. "Our incoming water is 200 gallons a minute," the official said, while noting approximately 290 gpm is now routed to the sewer pump in normal operations, which is why managers must manage tanks and schedules carefully.
Irrigation board members and watermasters walked through pond and share math to explain varying local supply. One irrigation representative summarized a pond accounting where the pressurized pond holds 2,120.56 total shares, of which about 948 (44.7%) belong to the city and 1,172.56 (55.3%) go to field users; Twin Creek ponds have smaller city percentages, meaning city water availability varies by neighborhood.
City officials warned residents to expect a likely two‑day‑per‑week irrigation schedule initially and asked households and large property users to stagger watering. "If we was to water everybody... we will drain our tanks," Mayor Olson said. Staff said they will publish a daily/weekly watering map on the city website showing which parks, the cemetery and school fields will receive irrigation and when.
Near‑term actions and funding: Olson said the city purchased an existing well south of the airport (the former Allen Shelley/Mark Johansen well) expected to yield about 250 gpm; shifting the cemetery, park and soccer field to that well could save large volumes of culinary water (staff estimated each major site can use about 4,000,000 gallons over a summer). The city has also applied for an earmarked $1,000,000 from Rep. Burgess Owens' office to build a proposed 500,000‑gallon storage tank on 200 South, but engineers have told staff the pipeline installed in the 1980s may need replacement to hold the higher pressure.
Officials said tertiary (reclaimed) water options were explored but found economically and logistically challenging: treatment costs would likely raise sewer rates substantially, regulatory restrictions limit allowable crops and fencing, and reclaiming water could risk contaminating nearby private wells.
Enforcement and public compliance: The irrigation board said it will step up enforcement this year — fines, loss of turns and shutoffs are possible for users who run stock tanks overflowed or operate beyond their allocations. Staff urged residents to report suspected misuse to city hall or the on‑call water staff rather than via social media; city employees will timestamp photos and forward evidence to police when necessary.
What happens next: The city will post a watering plan and pond‑by‑pond status on its website and said updates will be shared on social media. Officials emphasized the outcome depends on spring and mountain runoff; if flows recover, restrictions could ease, but if they remain low, the two‑day schedule and other conservation measures are expected.
The meeting closed with a call for cooperation: "We will take input and we'll take suggestions," Mayor Olson said, asking residents to work with the city as staff publish schedules and maps online.