Northwest Field canal users in Logan to see restrictions

Users of the Logan Northwest Field Irrigation Company will be facing irrigation restrictions starting Monday due to the low flow of the Logan River.

The irrigation system is on the west side of Logan and runs south and north along 400 West and 200 West. This is at least the second canal company to announce restrictions this summer. Earlier this month, the Logan Hyde Park Smithfield Canal Company did the same.

The newest restrictions divide users in half depending on where they live. The first group of irrigation users who will see restrictions live between 250 South and 100 North. Irrigation water usage in this area will be banned the entire week of July 29 to Aug. 3. Residents can begin watering again Aug. 4. Herald Journal

Utah's Thirst for Water Comes with $13.7 Billion Price Tag

The ability to turn on the tap, flush the toilet and water the garden over the next 20 years will be a multibillion-dollar challenge in Utah because of new water and sewer systems that state officials say must be put in place.

A statewide list of water projects, including their costs, is being shopped to Utah lawmakers, along with the warning that it is better to plan now and pay now, rather than wait until dams fail or taps run dry.

The numbers are staggering, adding up to $13.7 billion. And that doesn't include billions identified for controversial projects such as the Lake Powell Pipeline or the Bear River Development project.

The Utah divisions of water quality and water resources and other public agencies compiled the list of water infrastructure needs in Utah that provides just one glimpse of a national problem decades in the making.

A roundtable highlighting the water infrastructure challenges across the country estimated the cost to maintain and replace drinking water systems alone at $1 trillion. Hosted by the Conservation Leadership Partnership, the discussion earlier this month took on new urgency as most of the nation continues to recover from the worst drought in 50 years.

The partnership is an initiative seeking to broker new alternatives to persistent conservation problems, emphasizing the need for public-private partnerships and entrepreneurship and "ground-up" solutions. Deseret News

Space technology in insulation markets cuts energy bills

NASA technology is taking the Northern Utah insulation market by storm, saving valuable energy in its wake.

Consider a metal building used as a youth basketball gym in Northern Utah. Although insulated to code, the facility was unusable in the months of July and August. Air conditioners couldn’t keep up with the heat.
In May, a thin, reflective material was installed in the building’s rafters. Even during the hottest summer on record, the building was continuously used.

The reflective material, called RadiaSource, acts as a reflective shield, keeping heat out in the summer and in during the winter. The same technology has been used for suits in the space program to prevent heat gain and loss in the extremes of outer space.

Although the technology has been around for a while, practical applications outside of space have developed only in the last couple of years, as manufacturers learned how to handle the problem of oxidation.

The Department of Energy concluded during a roof study that this technology provides the best opportunity for return on investment when compared with cool-color roofs, ventilation or mass insulation. Standard Examiner

Logan residents shocked at high utility bills

Dry, hot weather conditions combined with a $7 base increase per month has many Logan residents balking at their most recent utility bills.

Starting in July, fees in three categories went up to account for base increases in water, sewer and stormwater rates, but city officials are saying that high electric and water usage has translated into steeper monthly bills than otherwise expected.

Base rates in three areas within Logan utility bills were increased a total of $7 for residents this summer. The increases, which are paying for various capital projects throughout the city but chiefly along 1000 West, were approved by councilmembers in June.

Logan is putting $14 million toward the 1000 West project. Although the Utah Department of Transportation is paying for the road surface, Anderson said the city is responsible for funding infrastructure updates below the ground.

Actual consumption rates — the area in which most residents are seeing the biggest jumps on their bills — were not altered.

Utility bills in Logan include base rates for a handful of services — from 911 operations to garbage collection — and a variable charge for electricity and water usage, both of which are measured monthly. HJNews

Logan retrofitting hundreds of street lights

Logan Light and Power crews are retrofitting hundreds of street lighting poles with new energy-efficient lamps along Main Street, 600 West and other corridors.

In all, 521 new lights will go up, replacing obsolete fixtures from the 1970s and '80s. Chris Niemann, technical operations manager for the department, says the outgoing lights consume, on average, 450 watts each. The new fixtures burn 150 watts. Smaller versions for side streets use only 50 watts.

Using federal grant money and a small match from the city, the department acquired $124,000 to purchase 521 new fixtures — 219 of which will be installed on Main Street.

The city considered purchasing LED fixtures, but the cost and technology, says Niemann, are still changing rapidly. Instead, the department opted for induction technology. Herald Journal