ST. GEORGE, Utah (ABC4) – The Quichapa Recharge Facility now has a diversion structure to separate flash flood water holding thick sediment and debris to provide clean water to local farmers and wildlife.
“It’s a terminus lake which means there’s no water that exits out of there, so there was quite a bit of water there left over from wet seasons and so we wanted to put that water to use,” says Paul Monroe of the Central Iron County Water Conservancy District.
Monroe says the recharge facility has a settling pond containing high levels of salt and minerals causing water to evaporate, prior to the diversion structure.
“We took that over and built an intake system with pumps and we were able to build a basin where it was more porous and gravely and the water would go back down into the aquifer,” says Monroe.
With the latest addition of the dike, usable water now goes into a conversation pond for wildlife, then spills onto nearby fields, so farmers don’t have to take additional water from the aquifer.
“It’s really important that we take every drop of water and utilize it to the best drop that we can, especially in a drought, especially in our basin where we have a declining aquifer,” says Monroe.
Monroe says 75% of water in Iron County is used for agriculture and this facility has the potential to save 170 million gallons of water per year.
