Santaquin planning commission sends amended water‑use element to city council after unanimous vote

The Santaquin City Planning Commission on Sept. 9 unanimously recommended that the city council adopt a draft water‑use and conservation element for the city’s general plan, amended by the commission to clarify landscaping language and water‑rate wording. The commission’s recommendation followed a staff presentation and a period of commissioner questions. The item was required by the state legislature’s 2022 mandate that most cities include a water‑use and conservation element in their general plans. The commission’s action was a positive recommendation, forwarded to the city council as amended. The draft element summarizes roughly 12 years of historical water use, describes current sources and rights, and lists local conservation measures and possible future policies. City staff said the historical record shows a recent spike in reported pressurized‑irrigation use largely caused by a state grant that replaced meters that had been underreporting use. Staff said Santaquin’s culinary water rights are sufficient for theoretical long‑term buildout, but that delivering water to new…