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Tooele City council reviews new water-use preservation element to meet state requirement
Summary
City staff presented a six-page amendment to the Tooele City general plan that would add a water use and preservation element required by Utah law; staff said much of the content draws on the city's existing water conservation plan and prior code changes limiting turf.
Tooele City officials discussed a proposed amendment to the city’s general plan on Wednesday that would add a water use and preservation element required by state law. Andrew Agard, the City’s community development director, presented the draft and asked the council for feedback before sending it to the planning commission.
The element is intended to satisfy two Utah Code sections referenced by staff: Utah Code 10-9a-403 and 17-27a-403. “Well, because the state said we have to,” Agard said, adding that he also views the element as a useful addition given Utah’s and Tooele’s water situation.
The nut graf: the proposed, six-page element summarizes current conditions, links to Tooele’s existing water conservation plan, and lists goals, policies and strategies the city will follow to reduce water demand for existing and future development. Staff told the council the draft relies heavily on measures the city has already put in place and on consultations with city departments and state water agencies.
Agard told the council the element includes a description of how permitted development affects water demand and infrastructure, methods to reduce demand for existing and future development, and the requirement for active consultation with public water systems and state agencies on supply planning, drinking water sources, storage and distribution. The draft also documents city practices such as tiered water pricing and system improvements (for example, irrigation valves with rainfall sensors), and it lists current ordinances and standards intended to preserve water.
Agard noted that many of the policies already appear in the city’s water conservation work and recent code changes. He cited prior amendments that removed turf from park strips and parking‑lot islands, prohibited turf in industrial and commercial landscaping, limited turf to areas of active recreation and multifamily projects, and capped turf in new single‑family front and side yards at 50 percent.
Council members responded with largely positive comments about clarity and usability. Agard said staff would forward the draft to the planning commission next week and return to council for formal adoption after any recommended changes.
The draft does not specify new funding or new enforceable fees; it is an element of the general plan that will be inserted into the existing document if adopted. The transcript indicates consultation with multiple city staff during drafting (among them Darwin Cook, Paul Hansen and Shannon Wimmer) and references the Utah Water Savers program and the Flip Your Strip initiative as incentives or outreach tools included in the element.
Looking ahead, Agard asked the council for any suggested edits to include before the planning commission review. He said the city’s objective was compliance with state law, brevity and clarity in the document.
