Holden, Utah, a farming town of roughly 400 people in the Sevier Desert, is rebuilding its drinking water system after decades of deferred maintenance on infrastructure that dates to the mid-20th century.
The first phase of the project centers on a new 500,000-gallon concrete storage tank at the site of the town's existing tanks, along with about 1,600 feet of new 12-inch transmission line to connect it to the distribution system. The work also covers valve and fire hydrant replacements, a chlorination system upgrade amid tightening EPA disinfection standards, and a SCADA upgrade that will let operators monitor water pressure and flow remotely. A booster pump for the town cemetery, which sits at a different elevation than the main system, addresses longstanding pressure problems common to Millard County's hilly terrain. Every water service meter in town will be replaced with a radio-read unit capable of tracking consumption in real time.
That last piece reflects both state and federal pressure. Utah passed legislation in 2022 pushing culinary water systems toward automated metering to document usage, a priority sharpened by the ongoing megadrought across the Colorado River Basin and Great Basin, the driest stretch the region has seen in roughly 1,200 years. Federal funders channeling money from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law effectively require the kind of data collection that SCADA and radio meters provide before approving grants or low-interest loans to small towns. For a community Holden's size, that federal funding window is likely what's making the project possible at all.
Source: NationGraph.
Similar overhauls have been moving through neighboring Millard, Sanpete, and Sevier County towns in recent years, many of them engineered by Sunrise Engineering, the firm whose plan room is hosting the project documents. The project is labeled Phase 1, meaning additional work is expected to follow once this round is complete.
The funding source for the project has not been publicly specified in available records. The agency listed on the solicitation is Axtell, a separate town in Sanpete County, which may reflect a shared services arrangement or a regional procurement pathway; the town clerk could clarify. Bids were due Sept. 10, 2026.
