Mona discusses state-required 40‑year water‑rights plan and regional reuse options

Jonathan opened the council’s water discussion and said the city is moving forward with a state-required 40‑year water‑rights plan and related regional work (Jonathan).

Sunrise Engineering consultant Glade Nielsen told the council the 40‑year study ‘‘isn’t really possible to look at ahead’’ in terms of forecasting demand, but it will ‘‘clarify all of that’’ by documenting existing water rights and potential changes. He said the proposal includes up to two in‑person meetings between Sunrise and city staff and can be handled as an amendment rather than a separate RFP (Glade Nielsen).

Jonathan told the council the plan will ‘‘tell us what water rights we have’’ and can help the city earmark water for parks and culinary use so priorities are defensible when the district or state asks how the water is allocated. He warned developers are seeking streamlined requirements and said the plan will provide a formal record the city can use to protect municipal priorities (Jonathan).

On reuse and regional supply, Jonathan said sewer effluent can be treated and reused for irrigation but that the work is expensive and involves legal and logistical hurdles. He said he will press the regional district for funding help as part of the Nibel Regional project and noted political pressure can arise if allocations are left unused.

Study scope and cost: Jonathan said the regional study will be substantial and estimated it may approach a half‑million dollars overall; the district initially listed Mona and Nephi City at $15,000 apiece but Jonathan said he expects Mona’s contribution to be reduced and suggested a likely Mona share of ‘‘maybe, you know, 5 to 7,000.’’ He also cited district numbers indicating about $187 per acre‑foot including operation and maintenance, which Jonathan said would translate to roughly $87 per household when divided by typical indoor use fractions (numbers presented as council estimates and approximations by Jonathan).

Distribution concerns: Council members questioned how pipeline alignment and local distribution would work, noting many of the city’s lines are near capacity. Jonathan said the district may fund a treatment plant sited to gravity‑feed both Nephi and Mona if alignment is adjusted, but several distribution and siting details remain to be worked out.

Longer timeline and next steps: Jonathan said the broader regional study will take roughly a year with a target completion by the end of June next year and that he will provide monthly or regular progress reports to the council. He asked council members to remain engaged, review the consultant proposals, and prepare questions for meetings with Sunrise and the regional district.

What remains unresolved: council members raised groundwater recharge concerns and whether surface‑water conversions would recharge local aquifers; Jonathan said aquifer injection and recharge are options in the study but that some impacts (for example, whether diverted surface water restores upstream flows) are uncertain and will require technical work.

The council did not take formal action on the 40‑year plan during the work session and signaled more review and discussion with staff and consultants before any approval.