Highland Lawn and Garden is on its way.
No, Highland Lawn and Garden isn't a new hardware store coming to the city's blossoming business district. It's not a commercial venture at all. It's what city officials have dubbed a proposed pressurized irrigation system that would provide water for lawns and gardens.The City Council took the first step last week toward developing the system. It starts with homebuilders, who will be required to install high-pressure lines in new developments and provide connections to each lot. The lines would be tied to the Highland Water Co.'s culinary system until pressurized irrigation water is available.
At its next meeting, the council intends to appropriate $15,000 for Highland's engineering consultant to design the system. A secondary system for outdoor watering would stretch the drinking-water supply now used on lawns and gardens, something the city could have used this hot, dry summer.
"This seems like a very clear and obvious direction our city should go," Mayor Ed Scott said.
Five northern Utah County cities, including Highland, earlier funded a study on forming a $48.2 million cooperative pressurized irrigation system. While Highland and Alpine are eager to dive into the system, American Fork and Pleasant Grove are hesitant. The fifth city, Lehi, already has its own irrigation system.
"In other cities it appears nothing is going to happen for a while," Scott said.
Highland is willing to strike out on its own. Construction couldn't begin until spring 1995, and the system probably won't be operating until the next summer, City Engineer Boyd Wilson said. Highland would have to work with local irrigation companies and the Highland Water Co. The city owns 500 shares of water in various irrigation companies it would commit to the system, said Ted Stillman, acting city administrator.
A broken well forced Highland residents to alternate watering days and have no outside use on Sundays.
"This summer has been a wake-up call for us," Stillman said.
Mark Thompson, Highland Water Co. general manager, said he's seeing 60 percent compliance with the Sunday water restriction. It's helping build the supply for the rest of the week, he said.
But "without a doubt, we are not as healthy as we'd like to be," Thompson said.
Thompson said he's tried to think of drawbacks to the pressurized irrigation system, but it "comes out a winner any way you look at it." While Highland is trying to develop its own system, Thompson said partnerships with other entities are necessary to make it work. "At least you'll need a coalition to manage the supply of water from the several sources," he said.