Council authorizes up to $145,000 for irrigation-system filter as state deadline and metering questions loom

Gunnison City Council voted July 15 to authorize up to $145,000 to pursue a system-wide irrigation filter as staff works through requirements tied to state grant funding and a parallel meter-installation program.

City staff told the council the irrigation project still has about $430,000 unspent; roughly 70% of that is state grant funding and 30% is bond (loan) money. The state prefers the city spend as much of the awarded grant as possible rather than returning unused funds, staff said, and suggested options that could use the balance: installing meters, filters, or related infrastructure.

"There's been some discussion about putting meters in," the city engineer said, but the state has pushed for metering only if the city can show it holds the easements and that property owners have turned their water shares over to the city. Staff warned that securing easements and proofs of converted water shares could take weeks and might jeopardize meeting the state's spending timeline.

Council and staff discussed pros and cons: culinary-style meters on irrigation water have shorter expected lifespans when exposed to dirtier irrigation flows (staff estimated meter life could drop to roughly 10 years in that service), and a filter could prolong meter life and reduce maintenance. Staff presented three filter options ranging from manual (lower-cost, more hands-on maintenance) to fully automatic (higher-cost); cost estimates ran from roughly $100,000 on the low end up to $400,000 for fully automated systems. Council authorized up to $145,000 to buy and install a filter system in the near term and directed staff to evaluate semi-automatic and manual options within that budget.

The council also directed staff to map easements and to match water-share records to property addresses so the city can demonstrate which lines are city infrastructure and which are user-owned later this summer. The state’s deadline to have funds obligated is the end of October; meter installation itself need not be completed until later (the transcript referenced a 2030 installation deadline for meters but an October funding obligation deadline).

The motion passed unanimously. Staff will return with more detailed cost comparisons and a map of easements and dedicated water shares for council consideration before any larger commitment to a meter program.