State Mandate: Pressurized Irrigation Water Meters
In accordance with the 2019 Utah State legislative mandate, all cities, including Highland, are required to install pressurized irrigation water meters. This is now a legal requirement.
Concerns About Rate Increase
We understand that there are concerns within the community about potential increases in water rates. Rest assured, we are committed to ensuring transparency and fairness throughout this process. The rate structure will not be implemented before 2026. City staff will review the usage data collected from the meters through the end of 2025. The usage data will be crucial in determining what constitutes reasonable usage in Highland. This information will be used to establish the recommended rate structure that will be submitted to the city council for approval.
Information Regarding Water Shares
It’s important to understand that all residents connected to the pressurized irrigation system have provided water shares in some form. This could be through turning in flood irrigation water shares, or by purchasing the required water for connection to their property. With new construction, developers must provide the same amount of water required of individual residents. The size of the land being developed determines the
amount of water that must be provided. New residents purchase lots with the water already dedicated.
Why There Is A Rate Fee
Even though water shares have been purchased for the pressurized irrigation system, the city incurs costs to get the water to the users.
In the past, if you owned water shares and they were delivered to your property by an irrigation company via a canal, ditch, or other conveyance, you were required to pay the irrigation company for the cost of delivering the water to your property and for maintaining the ditches or canals that delivered the water.
Today Highland City pays the irrigation companies to deliver the water to its storage facilities. The city has a responsibility to operate and maintain these facilities and the pipeline system that delivers the pressurized irrigation water to the end user. The fees that are collected help to offset the cost of the maintenance and operation of this system which gets the water to individual properties.
Self-Monitoring Period
Residents will have the summer of 2025 to self-monitor their pressurized irrigation usage and determine the best-use practices for their property.
Preparing For The Irrigation Season
It is imperative that all residents take responsibility for ensuring that their pressurized irrigation valves are closed prior to April 1st of each year, to prevent the possibility of flooding or unsupervised watering at the time the system is pressurized.
The valve may be in either a rectangular or a round box depending on your pre-existing system.
See Illustrations below showing the proper configuration to close the valve.
Closed Position (with handle perpendicular to supply line).
Water Usage Information
Before any rate adjustments come into effect, everyone will have the opportunity to self-monitor their usage. The city is working with a website that will be able to provide daily reading of your PI water use. Once the website and infrastructure are ready, users with installed meters will be able to log into a designated website to view their respective usage data. We will inform you how to access the website once it becomes available.
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What If My System Starts Leaking This Spring
Please note that the system will not begin to be pressurized until April 1st. After April 1st, if you notice any leakage occurring directly in the area of the new PI meter installation you can call Hydro Vac Excavation at 385-465-4687 or send a text message to 385-421-9045 to report the leak.
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Thank You To Our Citizens
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to get the city into compliance with the state mandate to install these meters. Our goal is to ensure a smooth transition to the new system while maintaining fairness and transparency for all residents.
Should you have any further questions or concerns, please visit the website at https://www.highlandpimeters.com for additional information or to contact us.
