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Show Waver extensions halved by both city and state Until Vernal City settles a claim by canal companies in Ashley Valley that the city is using more than its right to water from Ashley Creek, a moratorium has been placed on future expansion of the city's water system. The city's moratorium on extension outside the city limits was seconded by a letter received Tuesday from the State Department of Health regarding extension anywhere on the system. In the letter Gayle Smith, State Department of Health, told the city and other water entities that because of low water pressure in outlying areas the state, "hereby orders to allow no other connections to the water system without a letter of approval from this office or the Uintah Basin Health i Department." Smith also sent letters to the Ashley Valley Water and Sewer Improvement District, Maeser District and Jensen District a "not approved" water rating, which will stop federal loan guarantees. Several sources have indicated that although the entities were sent letters informing them of the "not approved" rating, officials met with the state and acquired an extension of the "not approved ap-proved corrective action" rating. Vernal City water system was rated "approved corrective action" which carries no penalty. Also upon notice of the city's water attorney, Ed Clyde, the city is not permitting per-mitting any water connections and water extension outside of its limits. The moratorium on water extensions outside the city came because of allegations allega-tions of canal companies that for years the city has used more water than it is legally entitled to receive from Ashley Creek, the city's culinary water source, as per the city's recognized water rights. Although the irrigation companies indicate in-dicate that they are willing to sell to the city sufficient water to meet its needs, the city is contesting the facts and figures used by the irrigation companies com-panies in showing the city's water rights and amount of water delivered from Ashley Creek to the city. (Continued on Page 2) Water extensions - - (Continued from Page 1) According to Bassett the question is whose water is the city using? The city contends it is using project water when it uses more than what the city has right to, in which case the city would owe the Uintah Water Conservancy District and not the canal companies. Other issues which are being hashed out between attorneys for the canal companies and Vernal City is the city's right to own shares of stock in a canal company. To date the canal companies have refused to recognize a municipality's ownership of canal stock. This poses a problem for the city because land owners are required to turn over to the city canal stock before they can develop land and receive a water connection. The reason for this requirement is because of Vernal City's apparent water shortage. The city recognizes that there may be individual requests for connections outside out-side the city which if not made would impair' the health and welfare of the parties requesting the connections. In ' these situations, permission for connection connec-tion onto the system will be addressed on an individual basis by the Vernal City Ci-ty County, Kenneth Bassett, Vernal City Ci-ty manager, said. In the same notice to culinary water users in Ashley Valley, the city contends con-tends that until the stipulation agreement agree-ment (separation agreement) between Vernal City and the AVWSID takes effect ef-fect that Vernal City will manage and control any future expansion and changes in the water system as presently present-ly owned and operated by the city. . The agreement between the two en--tities will take effect when the Uintah Water Conservancy District has reduced reduc-ed the subscription of Vernal City to Red Fleet water from 12,000 acre feet to 8,000 and approve AVWSID petition for 4,000 acre feet of Red Fleet water. During heavy water use months, the system cannot maintain adequate pressure to provide sufficient water service to all residents, offers the city's notice to water users as a secondary reason for curtailing water connections outside the city. |
