Regional drought‑contingency survey shows broad support for a common plan; parks and golf courses remain contentious

Ivins — Doug Bennett of the regional water district presented April 3 survey results showing broad stakeholder support for a common regional drought‑contingency plan, but he said disagreements persist over when to restrict decorative lawns, how to treat public parks and how to work with the golf industry.

Bennett said the district conducted a two‑phase survey of technical staff, trustees and elected officials across eight partner communities to identify where measures should sit within staged drought responses. The next step, he said, is to present a formal drought‑contingency proposal to the district’s Administrative Advisory Committee on April 23 from noon to 2 p.m.

Survey participation included mayors, city managers and technical advisory members; Bennett said there were 39 city council members across the eight agencies and roughly 56% of those elected officials responded. The survey used four drought stages; Bennett characterized stage 4 as an emergency: “Stage 4…