Your Water Updates

The end of the 2025 water season saw some issues in District 2 that will require cooperation with homeowners, HOAs, and construction companies to fully fix the issue with the irrigation line. This could take some time and patience on everyone’s part. Other districts seem to have been running well and with all of the rain, not much secondary water was needed.

Gates were turned off on October 1. In the off-season, please make any repairs on your properties to help mitigate leaks and blockages when the water is running. If you need suggestions on how to repair something, you can reach out to your District Lead.

BCLC Board Meetings happen at 7:00pm on the second Thursday of every month at Granite Library. You are welcome anytime to join us for the open session.

After speaking with Salt Lake County Water Deputy Director, the BCLC Board has been informed that the algae bloom risks for our districts are reduced, therefore, water will begin flowing again. For now, the canal water is safe for watering lawns and gardens, but we do recommend some level of caution with allowing pets to drink the water or with human skin contact, as harmful algae can cause digestive issues and skin irritation. As always, the canal water is unsafe for human consumption. If the increased risks return, we will address them accordingly.

UPDATE: The main gate that feeds districts 3, 4, and 5, is not working. We are in contact with Salt Lake City (who maintains the main canal) about the issue. We will not have any answers until Aug 5th at the earliest. In order to fix this gate, water in the main canal will need to be stopped and likely some welding or full replacement will need to happen. Stay tuned…

UPDATE #2 (AUG 5): The broken gate for districts 3, 4, and 5 will be fixed by SLC tomorrow. In order to fix the gate, all water will be dumped from the canal system at 7pm tonight, Aug 5. They have assured us this should be a quick fix and water should return to the canal tomorrow evening.

UPDATE #3 (AUG 6): SLC fixed the broken gate this morning! Full water should be running for the affected districts by this afternoon. Thanks SLC!

BCLC has shut down all gates from the main canal today due to the recent warning of a Hazardous Algal Bloom (HAB) in both Utah Lake and Jordan River. We are waiting to hear from Salt Lake City about when/if they will be able to switch the canal system to well water. Once the canal is on well water or the threat of the HAB has passed, we will re-open the BCLC gates. In the meantime, please be aware that there is potential for unhealthy water in the system. Keep humans and pets out of any remaining canal water, Utah Lake, or the Jordan River. These HABs are common in hot summer months and will continue to be monitored. Please refer to the Salt Lake County Health Department, the Department of Environmental Quality, and the Jordan River Commission for HAB questions and the most up-to-date information.

All-in-all, June was a good water-flow month! Each district will always have their own issues, here and there, but there were no big system-wide issues….until June 25th. The main canal suffered a break north of our system, due to road construction. Salt Lake City had to dump water from the canal starting at 3900 S, meaning districts 6, 7, and 8 had no water until June 29th. The rest of the districts were running low because they restricted water flowing into the main canal. All should be good now. If you notice any issues on your line, please reach out to your district rep.

APRIL 28 UPDATE

After some delays as Salt Lake City fixed some leaks in the main canal, we believe we are ready to send water into our districts. Districts 2 and 8 have been up and running. The main gate for Districts 3, 4, and 5, was opened this morning, as was the main gate for 6. District 4 will wait until later this week to send water down the lateral, after the line is checked for debris (contact Tracy if you’d like to help do this!). District 7 will likely open their main gate today or tomorrow. Please contact your District Lead if you see any issues with the water or have any questions.

_________________

Thanks to everyone who came to the Annual Meeting on March 27. We had a record turn-out, with 56 members attending! You can read over the minutes and view the slideshow by clicking the above links. We want to continue to improve our communication with members, as well as to increase volunteerism within the membership. Please consider lending your time and talents to keep BCLC flowing: add your name to our volunteer team here.

Water is being added to the main canal this month. We will begin to open lateral lines into our districts once the sediment has settled out and the lines are clear and ready to handle the water. We usually expect May 1 as a guaranteed day to send the water, but if everything is ready earlier than that (this is where volunteering can help!), we will get the water going in April.

It’s time for our new water season to get underway! The board is working hard to get communications out to you for the Annual Meeting that will take place at Granite Library on March 27, 2025, at 7:00pm. They are also getting ready to send invoices out for your 2025 assessment fee. Be on the lookout for communications with details on how you can submit payment.

The Annual Meeting will cover last year’s projects and expenditures, maintenance projects for this coming season, and ways you can get involved to help keep the water running in all of the districts. Currently, there are around 10 members who volunteer their time in the ditches clearing debris and problem-solving. We would love the help of all 200 members on the system to keep things running all summer! Beyond keeping your own lines clear, please consider volunteering on some of the bigger projects that come up throughout the year. The first projects will be walking the lines in each District before water starts running to identify any potential issues. If you’d like to join your district lead on this project, please reach out (visit the Contacts page). If the system is in good shape, we will have water to your yards by May 1.

On October 1, Salt Lake City will shut down the main canal for the season. Once water stops running through our system, BCLC will begin on repairs before snow starts flying. These repairs mostly consists of minor concrete repairs that do not sit in private backyards. The fall season is a great time to take a look at the lines on your own property to see if there are cracks that can be sealed or roots that can be cleaned out. Remember, you are responsible for the maintenance of the system on your own property, while BCLC takes care of repairs on public easements. Please contact your district lead if you have any repair suggestions. Happy Fall!

BCLC has been working with Salt Lake City, Millcreek, and numerous developers on some issues in our area. Some of you have seen little to no water in your ditches on and off throughout the month as these issues are remedied. District 2, in particular, has been affected by development along Highland Drive. Thank you for your patience!

There are approximately 10 consistent volunteers who work to keep water running for the 200+ members on BCLC. The more help we have, the more quickly we can take care of issues in your local lines. We would LOVE you to volunteer with the organization! This can look like learning your own district line and helping to solve problems as they arise, communicating with developers and city officials, leading member communications, helping with accounting, and/or being available for ditch maintenance and construction. If you can volunteer your time, please complete this form so we know what types of volunteerism you are interested in: Volunteer Interest Form

After a fairly wet May, that brought lots of construction disruptions in several BCLC districts, we finally have water running consistently. As a reminder, you may not always have water in your ditch! There are just over 200 members of BCLC and if someone is pulling water up-line from you, your water may be low or gone. Please don’t contact your district representative immediately! Wait a couple of hours to see the water fluctuates back. Along with that, if you are pulling water, you are not the only member wanting to use the water! Please be respectful of your neighbors and only pull water for irrigation (not for your kids to play in). Each unit of water equates to 1 acre-foot per year. I like to think of it as being able to pull water for 1 hour each week of the season, as needed.

We have had lots of people contacting district representatives about water issues that can be easily fixed by going to your own ditch and checking for obvious blockages, or talking to your neighbors about checking their lines. Please attempt to handle the situation at your property on your own BEFORE reaching out to BCLC volunteers.

Water has been moved into the main canal by Salt Lake City Corp. We will let the sediment run past and settle out before opening the gates to the BCLC Districts. In order to open the BCLC lines, it is important for each member to clear the debris (leaves, sticks, trash) from the lines and to check in with your neighbors to see if they have done the same. This will prevent flooding situations once the water is allowed down the lines. Though each District has a volunteer to check the lines throughout the season, it is much more efficient for individual members to take care of the lines in their immediate vicinity. Talk to your neighbors and ask about the line in their yard! The plan for 2024 is to open the District lines by May 1 (earlier if all lines are ready).

You are encouraged to attend the Annual Membership meeting on April 11, 2024, at 7:00pm, at Granite Library. This is were you can ask questions about your line, see how BCLC is using the assessments to maintain the system, and volunteer to help in your local district or with the BCLC Board. We are currently looking for volunteers at the Secretary position, people with construction experience (excavation, cement work, metal work), developer-relations, and City-government relations/representative. Please consider sharing your skills with the BCLC community to help you and everyone else get their water allotments on time and throughout the season!