Planning commission recommends new water-conservation chapter for Salt Lake City general plan

The Salt Lake City Planning Commission on a unanimous vote recommended that the City Council adopt a new water-conservation and land-use chapter (PLN PCM 202500481) to Plan Salt Lake.

The proposed chapter responds to a state directive to add a water element to municipal general plans by Dec. 31 and lays out six components including an updated supply-and-demand analysis, methods to reduce per-capita consumption, city-operations conservation, coordination with the city's water conservation plan, regular updates and sustainable landscaping policies. "The state last year said, hey, municipalities. Yes. You need to update your general plan with a water element," Planner Mikaela Bell said during the public hearing.

The recommendation matters because Salt Lake City is a major water provider to neighboring jurisdictions and because the city's water strategy ties land-use choices to long-range supply planning. "The supply and demand plans are conducted under a statutory requirement for the management of the city's water rights. So we have to show out at least…