Last year Ivins consumed 2,438 acre-feet of water. That works out to 220 gallons per person per day according to City estimates. Based on that, one acre-foot of water is enough water for four people for one year.
That total excludes Kayenta, which is serviced separately, and the farmland in Ivins which has separate water rights. I will have a more detailed analysis next week that will include these.
So, do we have access to enough water? I asked Chuck Gillette, head of the City’s Public Works Department, how much water can we reasonably expect and how much will we need. Here is the information he put together.
Our Water Supply
Ivins isn’t in a good position when it comes to water rights. We have a small amount of water rights and then agreements with St George and the Washington County Water Conservancy District (WCWCD) that provide us with most of our water. Here is the breakdown.
- Snow Canyon Compact – Provides 393 acre-feet (Ivins City Water Rights).
- Gunlock Wells Agreement – Provide 614 acre-feet of water. St George let Ivins use 820 acre-feet in 2020 which exceeds the agreement. They may at some point limit us to 614 acre-feet.
- Regional Water Supply Agreement (WCWCD) – Current pipeline capacity should provide us with at least 2,500 acre-feet of water. This is dependent on whether the WCWCD can provide it. Last year we used 1,790 acre-feet from the regional pipeline.
- Ence Wells – We have an agreement in place and facilities in place to deliver water from this source, but it is currently not being used. When we need it, it will give us another 380 acre-feet.
If you total these four sources of water, we can reasonably expect 3,900 acre-feet of annual water supply, as long as Mother Nature cooperates. Chuck noted that we should include a 20% buffer because of nature’s uncertainty, which brings our potential supply down to just over 3,100 acre-feet.
Since we used just over 2,400 acre-feet last year, we are not necessarily in a crisis yet, but we are certainly getting very close.
Existing Water Supplies versus Future Buildout Demand
The population of Ivins is expected to increase from around 10,000 people today to more than 20,000 people at full buildout. Chuck estimates we will need 5,454 acre-feet at full buildout. I believe this assumes we continue to consume water the same way we do now (no additional conservation).
Based on the 3,900 acre-feet we probably have access to, we’re about 1,600 acre-feet short. Add in the 20% buffer and we’re more than 2,500 acre-feet short. That’s a big gap.
Please share your comments and tell me about other Ivins issues I have not addressed in recent posts. CONTACT ME
Recent “Water” posts
- Field of StreamsIt was pointed out at last Thursday’s City Council meeting that dredging Gunlock Reservoir could increase its storage capacity by 3,000 acre-feet. That has been suggested a lot in recent months. Why not do that instead of creating the much smaller Dry Wash Reservoir? It sounded like a good idea. The Reservoir was designed to…
- Goldilocks And The ReservoirThere was a city council work meeting on March 21st to discuss potential problems a proposed Dry Wash reservoir could create. It wasn’t a public hearing, but more than 80 residents attended. Thank you! Your attendance made a difference. Even though it wasn’t a public hearing, the Mayor invited a number of residents to speak…
- What Flushes in Vegas Stays in VegasThe proposed Dry Wash Reservoir in Ivins would store wastewater in the winter to be used for outdoor irrigation somewhere in the county during the summer. To help residents and the City Council better understand and maybe even appreciate wastewater, the Washington County Water Conservancy District (WCWCD) organized a tour of facilities in and around…
- The Latest In LandscapesJoin us for a Talkabout on Wednesday, March 20th at 7pm at Rocky Vista University to learn more about the City’s new relationship with Utah State Univerity’s Center for Water Efficient Landscaping and the resources being developed to support Ivins’ residents in reducing outdoor water use. This conversation with residents will be led by Dr.…
- Reservoir Reservations RemainThere was a large turnout at last night’s Talkabout at Rocky Vista University, with a lot of questions and answers about Dry Wash Reservoir. Most of the evening was devoted to answering questions from the audience, after a presentation from Zach Renstrom, General Manager of the Washington County Water Conservancy District. Some misconceptions were cleared…