Utah farmers facing another irrigation water shortage

The Weber Basin Water Conservancy District is already warning Utah residents that they’ll need to conserve water this summer.

Utah is expected to have another hot and dry summer. The month of May just began and hydrologists are already talking about a drought for the second year in a row.

While Utah suffered a drought last year, what’s different this year is that many reservoirs aren’t as full. The seven reservoirs in the Weber Basin’s District are only 50 to 70 percent full. Fox13

Council May Fund Ogden Canyon Pipeline Project with $6M Bond

Source: Standard Examiner

Ogden is considering issuing up to $6 million in bonds to pay for the remaining phase of the Ogden Canyon water pipeline project.

The city council voted Tuesday night to approve a resolution that sets the parameters for funding the bonds and sets a public hearing on the matter for Feb. 5.The bonds will not exceed $6 million, a 3.5 percent interest rate or a term of 25 years.

The state of Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Drinking Water Board has already offered to purchase the bonds. The city had previously issued $4 million in bonds to go toward the project.
The state drinking water board also agreed to purchase those bonds at an interest rate of 2.6 percent for a term of 20 years.

It is also expected that $13 million in bond funds will be requested in fiscal year 2014 to pay for the design and construction of a new water treatment plant near the eastern end of the canyon. The water line project began in early November. The city hired Brigham City-based Whitaker Construction for the $8 million project, which is expected to wrap up by April.

The 24-inch pipeline, nearly 100 years old, winds through Ogden Canyon and carries water from Pineview Reservoir to thousands of Ogden residents.

City officials say it’s a major water supply line to the city, but it’s in poor condition, and repairs just can’t be put off any longer.

Ogden City Engineer Justin Anderson said that when this project is finished, it will ensure continual water service for years to come. Standard Examiner

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