Don't drink out of the garden hose if the City Council decides to go ahead with a new water system for this south Utah County town.

A citywide gray water system for irrigating lawns and gardens is under consideration. It would free up culinary water needed for growth and give residents a cheap source of water for outdoor use, officials say. But it wouldn't be treated the same as drinking water.In a water study presented Wednesday night by Horrocks Engineering of American Fork, the council learned that installing a secondary water system would be the least-expensive way to meet the water needs of a city of 65,000. Spanish Fork now has a population of 16,000, which is growing rapidly.

The system wouldn't have water meters for lots under an acre. Residents with lots larger than an acre would either not be connected to the system or be metered, according to preliminary plans.

Residents would pay an initial hookup fee of $525 and a monthly fee, which could be as low as $5.50 a month. It would take from seven to nine years for homeowners to break even with their costs, said Richard Heap, city engineer.

Korey Walker of Horrocks Engineers said that culinary water would get more expensive as the city develops. To meet the culinary water needs of a future Spanish Fork with 65,000 that didn't have a gray water system, the city would need to drill 13 new wells and build three new reservoirs at a cost of $17 million. The city would need two wells even with the secondary system.

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In contrast, a gray water system would cost $8.6 million and require two wells, one reservoir, upgraded pipelines and new water-lines in every street to free up culinary water for in-home use. Much of that cost would be borne by developers. An additional $5 million would be needed to upgrade the culinary water system even with a secondary system, Heap said.

Walker said it would take five years to break even with the costs of installing a secondary water system, which the city would build in four phases. Once approved, new-home developers would begin installing the pipes with their new construction.

Councilman Rex Woodhouse suggested that the city go ahead and install the gray water system for high water users now. That includes Spanish Fork High School, the city ball park, cemetery and Spanish Fork Junior High School. That alone would free up enough culinary water to service 750 new homes, Walker said.

Heap said the city has many water sources at varying costs from which to draw and could reach a population of 50,000 with a secondary system before it would need to go to more-expensive sources. The community has enough water now for a city of 22,000. It may reach that population in four to five years, officials predict.

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