Serving East Juab County - A Nice Place To Live! Volume 117, No. 13 March 27, 2019 Single Copy Price $100 Water from aquifers in Nephi and Mona most likely mix underground By Myrna Trauntvein Times-News Correspondent

Does the water from the aquifers in Nephi and Mona mix underground? It is likely that they do be- cause of data from a 1996 study entitled: “Hydrology and Simu- lation of Ground-Water Flow in , Juab County, .” The study was filed with the State of Utah Department of Natural Resources as Techni- cal Publication No. 114 and was written by Susan A. Thi- ros, Bernard J. Stolp, Heidi K. Hadley and Judy I. Steiger and was prepared by the Unit- ed States Geological Survey in cooperation with the Central Utah Water Conservancy Dis- trict and the East Juab Water Conservancy District and is 113 pages long including maps and charts. MONA RESERVOIR ON THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING • This photo taken last Wednesday, the fi rst day of Spring, shows in “Water discharging from a all it’s winter glory. refl ected in the water of Mona Reservoir as it fi lls during the runoff from this winter’s storms. Photo Mike Davis spring at Burraston Ponds is a mixture of about 70 percent ground water from a hypoth- esized flow path that extends Mona City offi cials want questions answered about down gradient from where Salt Creek enters Juab Valley and 30 percent from a hypothesized Houweling’s operations and plans for the future flow path from the base of the By Myrna Trauntvein man camp and not single fam- toes is projected to pay in the dressed. Mona City residents southern ,” said ily dwellings as has been re- first two decades of the farm’s are concerned going forward the report on page 1. Times-News Correspondent quired in the county ordinance operation,” he quoted. “In ad- with promises of actions they Water for both aquifers in the past. dition, GOED (Governor’s Of- will take in the future when comes from the mountains Mona City council members “Who approves workplace fice of Economic Development) they have yet to fulfill yester- and, if there is a dry had some questions for county safety standards?” asked agreed to provide a $500,000 day’s promises.” season, there will be wells and commissioners before any deci- Stringer. grant from its Industrial Assis- Another problem, he said, springs that fail because of sion was made about allowing Does the greenhouse use tance Fund to reimburse Juab is that Cow Lane is in Mona’s the way water seeps into the Houweling’s Tomatoes to build pesticides? he asked. County for the cost of bringing proposed growth area. ground. dormitories to house workers. “How many Juab County water and other infrastruc- “We have had open meet- “Page 19 of this study reaf- Mike Stringer, council mem- residents does Houweling’s ture to the site. The board also ings to address the area,” said firms that the boundary of the ber, presented the council’s list employ?” Stringer asked. set aside $300,000 in training Stringer. “We want to annex water systems in Juab Valley of questions to commissioners He said he would like to call grants for future farm employ- the area into the city as an in- is the Levan Ridge,” said By- and asked for their attention to the attention of the commis- ees.” dustrial zone. If the commis- ron Woodland, county commis- in getting answers. sion an article printed in the Stringer said that there sion allows it to stay an agri- sion chairman. “Water moves “We have concerned citi- Salt Lake Tribune, March 13, were issues that had been dis- cultural zone, the city loses the south on the south side of the zens from Mona who would 2014 and he then quoted sev- cussed with Houweling’s and, potential of future industries ridge and north on the north like these questions answered eral issues from that article. basically, all had been ignored. coming into the city, thereby side of the ridge.” and those citizens have called “The state is offering a $4.6 “Cow Lane was to be paved; losing any possibility of any “I have not found evidence them to the attention of coun- million incentive to a tomato- this has not occurred,” said revenue sources for the city.” that the town of Mona has its cil members,” said Stringer. growing company to build a Stringer. Without revenue coming own private aquifer that is not First of all, he said, was 28-acre ‘greenhouse farm’ in Cow Lane is the road from into the city coffers Mona will interrelated to the water sys- there adequate medical atten- Juab County that will employ Highway 54 up to Houewel- have a difficult time of main- tem throughout the north part tion provided for workers at 280 people and fuel its opera- ing’s and the power plant. taining the city’s infrastruc- of Juab Valley,” he said. “It is the greenhouse? Were there tions partly with waste heat In addition, light pollution ture in a manner the citizens my understanding that the un- EMTs on staff and were they from a nearby power plant,” he from the plant was to be ad- would like to see. derground water system gen- properly trained to take care of read from the article. dressed and this has also not “We are the second largest city erally, because of an elevation emergencies? “The state’s $4.6 million, been addressed. in Juab County and urge you to gradient, flows north and prob- He also said that there was post-performance tax incen- “Currently they have un- vote for the industrial zone on ably drains into Utah County. concern that what Houweling’s tive amounts to about 25 per- contained garbage accumulat- Cow Lane,” he said. “Thank you I can’t say with authority that was proposing in the way of cent of the $18.2 million in ing behind the plant,” he said. for your time.” separate aquifers do not exist, housing for its workers was a state taxes Houweling’s Toma- “This has also not been ad- but I am reasonably confident that there are not separate buckets of water that are not interrelated.” County grants easement to TransWest “The ground-water divide that separates the ground-wa- ter system into the northern and southern parts in Juab after concerns are allayed Valley is believed to be near By Myrna Trauntvein the road easement being the company does not own. this case TransWest, to occu- the topographic divide within granted but did have some “There is no lien on the py the land or to exclude oth- the valley, Levan Ridge,” reads Times-News Correspondent concerns about the wording in property,” said Tippets. ers from the land, unless they page 19 of the study. “Ground the document making it pos- “Why not an MOU?” asked interfere with the easement water recharged at the ground- A road easement for Tran- sible. Ryan Peters, county attorney. holder’s use. The owner of the water divide flows away in both sWest, located on county prop- “We have public roads and “That would allow the im- land (in this case the county) directions, north and south.” erty, was agreed to by county wondered if we can have an provement of a class D road so may continue to use the ease- The study affirms that: “Salt commissioners. MOU (memorandum of un- it is a public accessible road.” ment. Creek, east of Nephi, separates “I am here to answer your derstanding) and not have an That would not require the The public use would con- the southern Wasatch Range questions about the road ease- easement,” said Ingram. assignment of the property to tinue, said Tippets. from the . ment,” said Joe Tippets, asso- Tippets said that the ease- TransWest. Creating an easement re- A pass separates the West Hills ciate general counsel and con- ment TransWest was seeking The access was as critical quires the same formalities sultant for TransWest. was a “non-possessory” prop- as a line easement, said Tip- Lynn Ingram, county road erty interest that allowed the pets. department superintendent, holder of the easement (Tran- The easement wouldn’t al- See Water on page 2 said that he was not against sWest) to use property that low the easement holder, in See Easement on page 4 96 South Main Phone Offi ce Hours Our Website Nephi, UT 84648 (435) 623-0525 M-F- 9:30 to Noon nephitimesnews.com Deadlines: Monday 12 noon 1:00 to 5 p.m.