Utah Agricultural Water Optimization Program

Utah Department of Agriculture and Food

Closed May 31, 2023

The Agricultural Water Optimization Program works with producers to help them optimize water use while maintaining or improving agriculture production.

The purpose of this grant is to effectuate the following goals:

Optimize water use while maintaining or improving agriculture production and profitability, and providing increased operational flexibility for agriculture water users moving forward.
Improve water quantification by showing accurate, real-time measurement of diverted water to demonstrate actual water savings in CFS and acre foot.
Document the availability of water after implementation of a Water Optimization Project.
Improve and protect surface and ground water quality by reducing overwatering of crops.

Eligibility

Utah-based individuals, entities, or farming operations with legal access to water and a water right or irrigation share in their name.

Terms

50/50 cost share: the Water Optimization Grant Program funds will be limited to 50% of the total cost of the project.
10% cost: producers are required to contribute at least 10% of the cost of the project. This can include in-kind match (if there is a question on the value of in-kind match, it will be valued on current NRCS EQIP cost list).
Water savings will be based on the irrigation system efficiency standard for each irrigation method. If the irrigation practice is not on the list provided. The applicant will choose the closest irrigation practice and provide a description of the irrigation method in the comment box. Staff and the ranking committee will determine the irrigation system efficiency standard from the information provided.
Metering requirements:
- Must be a real time water meter capable of recording and storing data
- Most common meter types are ultrasonic and electromagnetic flow meter
- Can be cloud based and/or remote, as long as data can be collected from the meter