SALT LAKE CITY — Nearly 700 projects have been selected to receive funds through a Utah program that seeks to improve the efficiency of agricultural water consumption across the state. And the projects that are complete and functioning are producing encouraging results, the program's director says.
Close to 250 of the approved projects within the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food's Agricultural Water Optimization Program are now complete and, combined, they've saved 40,891 acre-feet of water annually, according to numbers reported to the state last week.
That's enough water to fill up a reservoir the size of Quail Creek Reservoir in Washington County every year.
The number is based on one full year of irrigation following a project's completion, Tony Richards, the program's manager, told members of the Utah Legislature's Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environmental Quality Appropriations Subcommittee last week. It will rise as more projects go online in the coming years.
On-farm enhancements account for nearly 80% of the approved projects, while the rest involve improvements to canal systems, according to department data presented to the subcommittee. About $56.7 million has been distributed to farmers and ranchers since 2019 through the $150.6 million obligated to the program so far, Richards added.
The department selected projects based on different criteria, such as project type, projected water saved and cost per acre. The state also selects "priority water" areas on a changing basis, depending on Utah's needs, he explained. He said the program has also evolved to handle other water solutions, such as exploring alternative crops that may not need as much water.
"We do understand there's an efficiency improvement (need) in the infrastructure side of it, but there's also efficiency that we could gain in looking at management," he told the committee. "That even includes no-till (and) cover crops — all those kinds of things we can do to try and squeeze every drop out that we can."
The program has been in high demand since it began in 2019, drawing in 1,577 applications to date.
Agricultural water has historically been the top water consumer in the state, accounting for 75% to 85% of Utah's water use. The program was created as the state experienced more frequent droughts, causing water uncertaintywithin the industry.
However, the state wasn't always so certain about the success of the program. The program has required water meters since 2019, but lawmakers said they wanted more proof of water savings being allocating more funds, as the data wasn't always clear.
The state approved a measure that allows farmers and ranchers to sell their reduced water for conservation purposes without losing their water rights, helping out struggling bodies of water like the Great Salt Lake. The department is close to launching a new online dashboard that will provide updated information as more projects are completed and provide at least a year's worth of data, as well, Richards said.
Utah's Agricultural Water Optimization Committee recommended that the program dedicate at least $1 million in future spending toward research. That research will include ways to figure out the best irrigation techniques that help farmers and ranchers remain productive without consuming as much water as they previously did, he added.
"We want to be able to flex where we can and make the choices and best improvements that don't have the negative impacts," he said.
