TOQUERVILLE, Utah — The Toquerville City Council voted to adopt a joint regional water conservation plan proposed by the regional water district, a resolution the council said aligns with prior discussion and requires no immediate local regulatory change.

Council members said the regional plan sets shared conservation goals for member jurisdictions but does not give the district regulatory authority over end users or retail water rates. One council member asked the record to note that the district “does not have authority to regulate water used by end users, set retail water rates, establish and enforce policies, codes, or other ordinances, or manage growth,” and that those responsibilities remain with towns and cities.

Council discussion focused on the plan’s conservation targets and Toquerville’s recent water-use reductions. A council member noted the city has achieved a 27% reduction to date and said the district’s plan asks for an additional roughly 14% reduction for the city over a multi-year period. Staff pointed council members to tables in the plan showing Toquerville’s peak-day demand and acre-feet-per-equivalent-residential-connection (ERC) figures compared with other regional participants; Toquerville appeared near the low end on those comparisons.

Some council members described the district’s reduction targets as aggressive and said that local implementation is voluntary. “This is a plan,” one councilmember said; “no one’s going to jail if they’re not in compliance.” Councilmembers also noted several other jurisdictions had already adopted the plan and others were still considering it.

After brief discussion, a councilmember moved to approve the resolution adopting the joint agency regional water conservation plan (Resolution 2025 — number not specified). The motion was seconded and passed.

Councilmembers asked staff to continue monitoring conservation metrics and to report back if local implementation measures or enforcement questions arise.