Because of concern to maintain services and for future growth, in 2022, Malad City contracted with their city engineer, J-U-B Engineers, to conduct a water and wastewater study. Grants were received from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality to help cover the cost of the studies. The studies were completed in 2024, with the following Capital Improvement Plan recommended for the water system:
Within three to five years:
- Replace aged and/or leaking lines to reduce water loss
- Loop distribution mains and connect to boosted pressure zone in Northwest region of City
- Replace water meters with automatic meter reading (AMR) System
- Replace aged and/or leaking lines to reduce water loss
Within five to ten years:
- Loop distribution mains near Industrial Park and Cemetery
Within 10 to 20 years:
- Construct new well or upgrade Well #2 and Well #3 to serve as redundant sources
- Add redundant chlorination system to another well
- Construct new water storage tank and transmission line at South end of city
- Connect new water storage tank to SCADA and connect new wells or Well #2 and Well #3 to SCADA
- Transfer switch at Well #1
- Construct booster pump station for use of spring water in secondary system
After much consideration the council prioritized the following:
- Perform leak detection and repair leaking waterlines;
- Upgrade Well #2 and Well #3 with VFD’s and SCADA integration to resolve source capacity issues or to replace the wells with a reliable redundant source;
- Repair or replace Wells #2 and #3 to fix issues identified in the 2022 Sanitary Survey;
- Loop watermains to address low pressure -20psi zones in the City;
- Construct booster pump station to use existing spring water rights for the secondary irrigation system which in return would offset demands on the drinking water wells in summer.
A Letter of Interest was filed with DEQ, and in 2025 the city was informed that they were on the DEQ list to apply for these critical needs. In that regard, the city has been offered a loan through DEQ of $2,783,000 at 2.75 percent interest for 20 years and a DEQ grant for $1,137,000. In addition, the city recently purchased for $350,000, water rights to add to their current water right to provide a cushion for water use. The reason is because in the summer, the city has come very close to going over their allowed diversion right. With the $350,000 contributed by the city, the project total will be $4,270,000.
Because bond elections can only be held now in May and November, and because of the deadline to apply for the loan and grant, the city determined that the best course of action would be to move forward with a judicial confirmation. If we wait until November for a bond election, we will lose the grant portion of the funding. In going for judicial confirmation, the city will work through a bond attorney in Boise, Stephanie Bonney, who will make application through the courts to allow the bonding to take place. The city is also working with the Southeast Idaho Council of Governments (SICOG), Krystal Denney, who will provide her expertise to guide us through the process.
In a recent special meeting of the council, the council decided that rather than dig a new well, they would upgrade Wells #2 and #3. These wells are already existing. In the past, they have shown nitrate infiltration. The maximum contaminant load (MCL) for nitrates is 10 mg/L. Well #2 tested at 10.04 in June of 2021 and 10.98 in July of 2021, but before and after that, the nitrate levels were well under 10 mg/L. The highest level for Well #3 was 7.12 in October of 2019. The wells have not been tested since December of 2022. Therefore, new tests will be conducted, and the hope is that these wells can be put back into the system, either as culinary wells or for use as secondary water.
The council feels that the biggest concern is leak detection and looping waterlines. It is estimated that the city is losing a lot of water through leaks. Several areas have already been identified, and new areas will be identified by the Public Works Department. The council felt that instead of spending the money on a booster pump and bringing the spring water into the secondary water system, they would rather use that money for leak detection. A big problem with our secondary water users is that the water is not metered, and many people consider this “free” water and use it without conservation. Deep Creek Irrigation Company has a meter for the entire use by the city. When the meter indicates we have used all of the water allowable under the shares the city owns, Deep Creek water is turned off for city use.
During the next few months, our city newsletters will be used for education in water conservation. Average household water use in the United States is 300 *gpd (EPA 2024) compared to 336 *gpd used in Malad. The demand for Malad City during non-irrigating season is 0.3 to 0.6 **mgd or 140 to 280 gallons per capita per day. In the irrigating season, it is 0.7 to 1.7 **mgd; or 333 to 810 gallons per capita per day. The current allowable diversion for the city (without the new water shares purchased) is 2.08 **mgd. (*gallons per day; **million gallons a day)
What is this going to mean for city homeowners? It may mean that water rates be raised to pay for the project. Estimates are for up to $15 per month after the project is complete.
This is not a decision the council has made lightly. Our city, as well as most of the cities in Idaho, has aging infrastructure. The problem can be ignored, but we all saw what could happen last summer when we had the issue with our culinary well. We as your city mayor and council want to make sure that our city has adequate water and sewer. One thing we are finding out is that these systems must be upgraded consistently. If not, they become so antiquated that it takes much more money to repair than if it is kept up on a consistent basis.
There will be a public meeting to provide our citizens with information regarding this water project. We will also keep you up-to-date in the monthly newsletters and on Facebook.