As southwest Utah prepares for its population to nearly double over the next four decades, the region’s water district is investing in new water treatment, reuse and storage facilities to meet growing needs in the water-strapped desert.
The Washington County Water Conservancy District Board approved its 2026 budget last week. It includes an uptick in spending on large water infrastructure projects, including the future Chief Toquer Reservoir, the developing regional reuse system and expansion of the Quail Creek Water Treatment Plant.
“[The budget is] ensuring that people in Washington County have safe, reliable drinking water, and so when they wake up in the morning, that they will not even have to think about whether that water is safe to drink,” said Zach Renstrom, the district’s general manager.
The district’s expenses in 2026 are projected to be more than double compared to this year, according to a copy of the budget shared at the board meeting last week. However, the final number, over $279 million, is not as far off from what the board initially anticipated spending in its 2025 budget. That’s because many of the large capital projects the district planned on starting this year were delayed and pushed to 2026, Renstrom said.
Most project delays were tied to the permitting process, said Karry Rathje, the district’s communications director. Construction was paused on the Chief Toquer Reservoir, for example, after the district learned it needed additional approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The district has been saving money in anticipation of these large capital projects, Renstrom said. The district had over $484 million in its fund balance as of Aug. 31 and about $191 million of that will contribute to the budget revenue next year, according to the district’s budget presentation in October.
An increase in impact fees, which the board also approved on Monday, will also help cover some of the large expenses. Impact fees are one-time charges on new residential and commercial developments that help pay for new water infrastructure projects needed to meet the growing population.
“Our board has been very adamant that new construction needs to pay for these new projects, and this budget really reflects that,” Renstrom said. “If you’re going to be moving into our community, and you’re building a house, and we have to construct tanks and water treatment plants and dams and all that stuff, those are the individuals that need to pay for it.”
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Water in the oxygenation process at the Quail Creek Water Treatment Plant in Hurricane on Tuesday September 16, 2025.
Property taxes and water sales are also significant contributors to the district’s revenue, according to the 2026 budget.
Another source of funding next year will come from the Utah Division of Water Resources. The division approved a $195 million loan for the district’s reuse program in August. The district will receive this in two bond issuances over the next couple of years, said Jacob Sullivan, the district’s finance manager, during the board meeting on Monday. The first payment will go out in February and will be between $40 to $70 million, Sullivan added.
Here’s some of the top expenses for 2026:
Ongoing Operations and Maintenance
While new capital projects make up some of the large ticket items for next year’s budget, ongoing operations and maintenance of existing infrastructure also makes up a big chunk of the budget. The district has allocated $23 million for regional water system operation and $16.4 million for repair and replacement of aging equipment, according to the district’s October budget presentation.
Water Treatment Plant
The Quail Creek Water Treatment Plant is undergoing an extensive expansion, Rathje said. The district has budgeted $52 million for the project next year, according to the district’s October budget presentation. Once the project is complete, the plant will go from treating 60 million gallons of water per day to 90 million gallons per day, Rathje said.
The plant treats water diverted from the Virgin River that’s stored in Quail Creek Reservoir and Sand Hollow Reservoir. More than 80% of the drinking water the district delivers comes from surface water that’s treated at the Quail Creek plant, according to the district.
Reservoirs
Water storage projects will cost the district an anticipated $53.7 million in 2026, according to the district’s October budget presentation. The largest project is the Chief Toquer Reservoir, which is already under construction. Ongoing work on that project next year is estimated to cost $33.5 million, according to the district’s budget. Eventually this reservoir will be tied to the developing reuse system.
Water Reuse System
The district plans to spend around $73 million on its regional reuse system next year, according to the budget presentation. That project will take roughly ten years to complete, and in 2026, the district will focus on installing pipes, pumps and regulating ponds primarily in La Verkin and Toquerville, Renstrom said.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Zach Renstrom explains the planned regional reuse system at the Washington County Water Conservancy District offices in St. George on Tuesday September 16, 2025.
Overall, the reuse project will increase Washington County’s water supply by roughly 24,000 acre-feet per year, enough for 40,000 homes, according to the district. An acre foot equals roughly 326,000 gallons. The current water supply for the district and its municipal partners is nearly 86,000 acre-feet per year, according to the district’s regional water master plan.
That additional supply will make up more than half of the total new water the district develops to meet growing demand, Renstrom told The Tribune earlier this year. Conservation will make up an additional quarter.
Water Conservation
The district plans to spend around $7 million on water conservation efforts next year — roughly double what it spent this year. That money will go to projects such as rebates for property owners who rip up their lawn and replace it with water-efficient landscaping. Other investments include capital projects, such as converting water meters to “smart meters” that detect leaks at much lower levels, Renstrom said.
Conservation is the district’s “least expensive way to develop new water resources,” Doug Bennett, the district’s conservation manager, told The Tribune earlier this year. “Typical cost for developing an acre-foot of water is about $30,000 … and we’re producing an acre-foot of water for about half of that, between $15 and $16,000 per acre-foot,” Bennett said when discussing the lawn conversion program in August.