Lehi City is continuing a five to six-year effort that began in October 2022 to install secondary water meters on all properties within its boundaries. The project was prompted by a requirement from the Utah State Legislature to install meters on all secondary water connections by 2030.
Lehi City officials stated they endorse the state mission to alleviate drought and conserve water, anticipating a reduction in water usage between 20% and 40% by providing residents with usage data through these meters.
The city's contractor, Hydro Vac Excavations, is making steady progress on the installation. Significant milestones have been reached with the completion of Phases 1 through 9, as well as Phase 10 zones 1 through 4.
To notify residents of upcoming work, the Water Department will send notification letters approximately two weeks before work begins in a service area. Additionally, Hydro Vac Excavation will place door hangers on homes one to two days before starting work in each neighborhood.
The project involves switching out over 12,000 meters. As part of this long-term process, Lehi City will conduct a rate study to develop an equitable structure intended to encourage conservation. This multi-year process for developing new rates will include public input and transparency regarding when new rates take effect.
Under the proposed structure, residents who use higher amounts of water could see increases, while those who conserve could see decreases compared to the current structure.
Regarding landscaping, the contractor intends to restore landscaping as closely as possible to pre-installation conditions. Because soil needs time to settle after backfilling, additional dirt may be added before sod is laid. For meters installed after irrigation is turned off in the fall, new sod will be replaced in the spring.
Lehi City will repay a $3,643,000 loan from the Division of Water Resources over 15 years at a 1% interest rate. These bonds will be repaid using revenues from Lehi’s Pressurized Irrigation System and will not impact tax revenues.
