Castle Valley committee advances metering pilot and seeks WaterSmart grants

The Castle Valley water advisory committee agreed to pursue grant funding and a small pilot to test electronic metering and gather the data local leaders say are needed for stronger water management.

Committee members said the Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSmart grants and state programs are logical targets for seed funding, but grantors want price tags and basic plans. Speaker 5 said the next step is drafting a paragraph and cost estimates to use in grant conversations and noted the committee will need to isolate equipment options to allow bulk purchasing and a standardized approach.

The proposal discussed would begin as a voluntary pilot — “maybe 50 lots” — to demonstrate how metering works locally and to show residents it is not punitive, a member said. The committee emphasized that a staged, voluntary approach could reduce resistance and provide the evidence the town needs before contemplating a wider requirement.

Committee discussion repeatedly returned to a practical rationale: “you cannot manage what you cannot measure,” Speaker 4 said, summarizing the technical justification for metering. Members said measured data could ease administration of water rights, provide proof-of-use for regulatory requirements and support future council-level decisions on new permit conditions.

The committee assigned follow-up work: draft a pilot description and budget, identify potential grant windows in June, and coordinate with local stakeholders and monitoring teams to ensure data collected are entered into the town database for future analysis.

The committee did not adopt any mandatory metering ordinance at the meeting; members emphasized the pilot would be voluntary and intended to inform later policy decisions.