Your Water Updates

September 2023

Sept 8 – We have received word from Salt Lake City that the canal water will be shut off for the season on September 30th. Please plan accordingly for your property. Once water is clear of your ditch, any off-season clean outs or repairs should be made on your property. Fall is the perfect time for this maintenance. Consider removing trees or roots that are impeding flow or beginning to damage pipes, clear ivy from around junction boxes, cover openings to prevent debris from building up, spend time sealing any cracks in the concrete or fixing holes/replacing pipe that have damage.

Join our Facebook group to share garden and water images, recipes, volunteer opportunities with BCLC, and generally connect with other water members in our organization. Click the Facebook icon at the bottom of the page!

A BCLC member’s August garden after irrigation.

August 2023

**Aug 31 Update** District 7’s main canal gate broke and is now awaiting repair by the Office of Public Utility. District 7 will be without water until this gate is fixed.

August has brought with it some low water times as you’ve probably noticed in your ditches. Luckily, we’ve also gotten some heavy rains! When storms are particularly heavy, we shut down the lines to prevent flooding.

Currently, we have 2 issues:

–District 2 has been working with developers to build and secure a new box that was damaged during construction work. Hopefully, you will see water running this week (assuming the new box and lines don’t show any leaks).

–District 6 was shut down on Aug 29 to allow a new pipe fitting to cure. Water will be turned back on in that district on the 30th or 31st.

July 2023

As the summer heat pushes higher, our water sources get slimmer. The canal ran pretty low for a couple of weeks in July, which is why you may have seen little to no water in your canal lines. We have been able to balance this out somewhat, but there are still other issues that have kept some of you from getting water regularly:

  • One major and on-going issue is a home construction site that broke our main line from the canal into District 2. If you are in this district, you have not been getting your water and we are unsure how low it will take for the building company to repair the line.
  • Another issue happened on 3900 S (affecting Districts 3, 4 and 5), where the road milling company broke through our line that runs under 3900. We stopped water for a couple of hours, but then were able to open it again since water was still able to stay in the line, even with the break. We expect to have to close this line once they are ready to make repairs, before paving the lane again. We do not have a timeline for this.
  • Lastly, District 6 has had to shut down off-and-on due to a leak.

Hopefully, your gardens are growing nicely and you are starting to see some produce. Those sweet garden tomatoes are the best! If you are on Facebook and are a member of BCLC, ask to join the Big Cottonwood Lower Canal Facebook group. You can post pictures of your water systems, gardens, and see other member’s gardens and recipes.

June 2023

Hello BCLC water users. This year’s canal season has been going very well! We have been able to fix some fairly major pipe issues and continue to do so as issues arise. The good news is that because so many of you have already paid your 2023 assessment fees, we are able to pay to get these issues fixed quickly so that you all continue to receive water to your properties. If you still need to pay your 2023 assessment, please refer to this page on our website. The current pipe maintenance is happening on 1100 E. If your property sits on the Sierra-Cutler Line (District 3), you are not currently receiving water due to this maintenance, but water should be able to flow within the next week. Thanks for your help in keeping your water lines free from debris and water flowing to properties down line from you! If you have any issues to report, please email, call or text your district lead. Lead contacts can be found here.

Water is Coming…2023

Some of you may be seeing water in your ditch this week! Most Districts are performing FLUSH-OUTS to clear debris and assess for issues in the line. A flush out will only last a couple of hours before being turned back off. Once any issues are addresses, we will be able to keep water running. If you have any issues to report, please contact your District Water Deputy.

May 4, 2023

There is water flowing in the Main Canal, but there is a lot of “crud” flowing north. We are waiting to open our gates until the debris moves past our lines. We expect to start testing lines next week. This involves opening gates for a short amount of time to allow water to flow through the entire length, then closing the gate to assess for any leaks or failures. Once we know the water will flow without problems, we can open the gate for the season.