Water is a precious commodity and the state of Utah is ready to meter more of the state’s secondary water. Metering secondary water was first put into law a few years ago but at that time certain rural counties were excluded, including those in the Uintah Basin. After passing through the House and Senate during Utah’s current legislative session, HB 242 ‘Secondary Water Metering Amendments’ expands the requirements for metering secondary water to include the entire state by 2030, with much fewer exceptions than when it was initially passed several years ago. “This does not affect agriculture – only industrial, commercial, and residential who use secondary water,” explains Senator Ron Winterton. “After two years of drought, the state is trying to find where we can conserve and they find when made aware of usage, most will cut back and we have 80% savings. By 2030 all water will be metered. There is ARPA money to help the water companies install meters. The longer they wait, the less financial help the state will give.” Winterton also explains that there is $200 million dollars available to help with the expense.
