Consultants present 40-year water-rights plan to shield Mona’s municipal water

Sunrise Engineering told Mona City officials it is drafting a 40-year water-rights plan meant to document beneficial use and help the city protect municipal water rights amid forthcoming state rule changes.

"This 40 year plan, along with information and strategic awareness, is a protection for Mona City," said Glade Nielsen, regional client advocate for Sunrise Engineering, as he introduced the consultancy’s team. Chad Withers, Sunrise’s water-rights specialist, told the council the plans must be stamped by an engineer and include maps, water sources and shares to demonstrate that paper water is being held for future beneficial use.

Chad Withers said the plan’s primary legal value is to show that rights not currently in physical use are nevertheless needed for future development so the city can preserve them legally. He explained that new state bills and rulemaking take effect January 2028 and that municipalities will need these plans to justify water dedications or to rely on alternatives such as fee-in-lieu arrangements.

City staff said the consulting contract for the study was $32,000 and that Sunrise has completed roughly 25% of background research. Sunrise and staff agreed the draft will be circulated for city input and can be updated periodically rather than rebuilt for every change.

The study is intended to support decisions about developer dedications (exactions), fee-in-lieu options and future impact studies; staff said they will watch state notices for any imminent proofs of use or deadlines that would require extension requests.