
Eligible entities may apply for grant funds made available by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to the Utah Board of Water Resources, for the acquisition and installation of secondary water meters on existing, unmetered pressurized systems.
Entities eligible for funding include secondary water suppliers, as defined in House Bill (H.B.) 242. You may review the rules governing the distribution and use of these funds in depth by viewing or downloading H.B. 242. Or, see below for a one-page summary.
**The requirements of HB242, and the corresponding grant funds, are only applicable to secondary water suppliers, NOT residential consumers.**
The first application period for Secondary Meter Grants from the Board of Water Resources is now closed. If there are funds available after this application period, there will be additional application periods in the future.
If you have questions or need further information, please email: secondarymetergrants@utah.gov
FAQ
Q: What’s the process to get grant funds and when will they be available?
A: Water Resources staff will not review any applications until after the May 15, 2022 deadline. Then there will be a process to evaluate each application and conduct any investigation meetings needed.
Reports will be prepared and the Board of Water Resources (Board) will consider the first round of applications at their August 4, 2022 meeting. After awards are made, contracts will be prepared, and funds should be available beginning in September of 2022.
Q: How much grant funding can we get?
A: Grants awarded in 2022 and 2023 will be 70% of the applicant’s project costs (project total minus non-ARPA grants), as long as funds are available. Secondary water suppliers with 7,000 connections or less may receive up to $5,000,000. Suppliers with more than 7,000 connections may receive up to $10,000,000.
Q: Will grant funds be available up front (before construction)? Or will we have to pay the costs and be reimbursed after construction is finished?
A: Once there is a grant contract in place (between the Board and applicant), grant funds will be provided upon receipt of any bills and/or invoices. Funds will not be provided before the project begins, but the applicant will also not have to wait until it’s completed.
Grant funds will be available as expenses are incurred and reimbursement requests are submitted. For instance, if the applicant receives a bill for $10,000 to purchase meters, and has a 70% grant from the Board, applicant will receive a check in the amount of $7,000 and will be responsible to pay the bill in full.
Q: What if we can’t get our application in by May 15, 2022? Will there be another chance to apply?
A: Yes, we expect to have additional application periods in the future (the next one is expected to be June 1 - July 15, 2022). As long as there are still ARPA funds available for secondary meters, we will post the additional application periods to our website.
Q: We have a WaterSMART grant for our meter project. Can we use that as our 30% cost share?
A: No, WaterSMART grants or other grants that have been provided specifically for your secondary meter project cannot be used to account for your 30%. However, you can still request grant funds for your project.
The Board can provide 70% of any non-grant* portion of your project costs. (*If you have your own ARPA funds that your city or district has provided for use in this project, those funds can be considered as part/all of your 30% share and will not reduce the grant amount provided by the Board.)
Q: We just finished our secondary meter project. Can we get grant funds?
A: That depends on the timing of your project, and there are a couple options provided for in HB242.
If your project was constructed on or after March 3, 2021, it is considered a current project to satisfy the requirements of HB242 and you are eligible for grant funds. Please complete and submit an application.
If your project was constructed before March 3, 2021, and you are not requesting grant funds for a current project, you may be able to receive up to $2,000,000.
However, the Board must adopt rules for these grant funds (and that will be done after considering current grant applications). Those funds requested must be used for the purpose of another water conservation project.
Q: Is there a list of approved/recommended meters?
A: We do not recommend any particular meter(s). See the "Secondary Meter Provider" tab for a list of known meter providers/manufacturers.
Please note that if you are receiving grant funds, the meters you install must allow for data communication between the meter and other devices designed to manage the use of secondary water. This will allow the supplier to provide the necessary education to its users as stated in HB242.
If you have further questions, please email: secondarymetergrants@utah.gov
Secondary Meter Providers
The below list is for informational purposes only. The Utah Division of Water Resources does not endorse or make any guarantees on behalf of any specific provider. If you are a provider who has not yet been listed below, please send your information to secondarymetergrants@utah.gov to be included.
Badger Meter | Metron Farnier |
Hydro Specialties | Neptune |
Meter Works | Sensus |
Other Grants or Rebates
If you are not a secondary provider, and therefore do not qualify for the secondary meter grant, you may find the below information regarding residential programs helpful. If there are additional programs you are aware of that we have not yet included, please send information to waterwise@utah.gov.