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Why is Riverton installing secondary water meters now?
Riverton wants to put less strain on the current secondary water system through water conservation efforts and is working toward meeting a 2019 Utah State legislative mandate to develop a plan to install meters on all residential and commercial properties. Riverton City is now executing the plan that was developed and is installing meters.
Prolonging the Life of the System
As Riverton’s population continues to grow and more people call it home, the City’s secondary water usage continues to increase. This puts a strain on Riverton’s water system.
To put it in perspective, the system is designed to deliver about 19-20 million gallons of secondary water per day to the full build out of the city. Currently, the city is at 90% build-out but our water usage is at the level of 100% build-out. Over the last few years, Riverton City has seen 30-35 million gallons of secondary water use per day during peak summertime months. On peak use days, many residents have even reported experiencing a drop-in water pressure as a result of the strain on the system.
Once meters are installed, the city intends to show on utility bills how much secondary water is actually being used and what the recommended level of use is for each property. On similar efforts, in neighboring cities, showing the usage information has led to users self-regulating, resulting in the reduction of water consumption by about 30%! It is Riverton City’s hope that we will see similar results by providing usage data to its residents.
Water Conservation
With Utah being the second driest state in the country, Riverton City has recognized the need to be good stewards of our water resources. It is the City’s hope that residents and businesses in the city will adjust their usage and help Riverton become a water-conscience community. This metering project will help us measure and determine the success of such measures.
Although the meters will help the City and residents monitor their water usage, the secondary water rates are not anticipated to change from the current structure as a result of this project. It is projected that the original bonds used to fund the installation of Riverton City’s secondary water system will be paid off by 2022. The money currently being used to make those bond payments will then be diverted to make payments on the new bond.
If the current city-wide water usage does not decrease to a level appropriate for our population size, Riverton City will need to purchase additional water shares and make significant upgrades to the system, potentially costing taxpayers more money. It is our hope that we can collectively conserve water to avoid these possible alternatives.
Learn more about water usage and water conservation tips in Utah, by visiting:
2019 Legislative Mandate
The Riverton Secondary Water Meter Installation Project is in response to 2019 Utah legislation that mandates all secondary water distributers (Riverton City), provide the state with a plan for metering the pressurized secondary water connections. Riverton City is now executing that plan to install meters on all properties that do not currently have them.
Questions & Comments
If you have questions or comments, or would like to sign up for updates, please contact the project information team.
Phone: 801-823-1638
Email: meters@rivertonutah.gov