Council reviews draft urban farming water-credit policy: $120 annual credit if criteria met

Provo Public Works presented a draft urban-farming policy July 22 that would allow qualifying residential gardens to receive a $120 annual credit on culinary water bills if they meet specified size, use and irrigation-efficiency criteria and exceed the city's Tier 2 usage threshold during the irrigation season.

Barry Heumann, water resources engineer, said the policy responds to a state legislative requirement to "consider urban farming" when setting water rates. He outlined the proposed eligibility requirements: the garden must cultivate marketable plants (fruits, vegetables, herbs), occupy either at least 25% of the parcel or a minimum of 5,000 square feet, be actively used for at least four continuous months during the irrigation season, meet Provo backflow-prevention standards, and employ efficient irrigation (e.g., drip or high-efficiency nozzles).

Heumann explained the administrative approach: applicants would submit to Water Resources, staff would verify parcel area and irrigation compliance, and Customer Service would apply a $120 credit at the end of the billing year if the account reached Tier 3 water usage during the irrigation season. Heumann said the $120 figure approximates the additional cost of reaching Tier 3 for a 3/4-inch meter and is administrable by Customer Service.

Councilors raised questions about scope and incentives. Some asked whether marketable non-food plants (for example native plants sold for landscaping) should qualify; staff said the policy language favors food-producing crops but that "marketable" language was chosen to be inclusive and could be refined. Councilors also asked about whether disability and other existing rate programs interact with the credit and whether a credit applied at year-end would help residents with summer cash flow. Staff noted customers on equal-pay billing would see the credit spread into future monthly amounts once applied.

Staff recommended a flexible, administratively managed pilot rather than embedding every detail in code. City attorney and staff discussed options: the council could adopt detailed code language, or delegate authority to Public Works to implement and report back. Councilors favored a reporting requirement so the council could review take-up and impacts after the first season and consider code changes if needed.

Heumann said examples in staff materials showed relatively few residential parcels would qualify under the draft thresholds; larger parcels or agriculture-scale gardens would be likelier to meet minimum area and usage requirements. The work session did not produce a vote; staff will continue refining the policy, perform outreach, add application guidance to the water bill and return with a report after implementation and initial uptake.