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Orem planners roll out draft water conservation element required by state, target December adoption
Summary
Planning staff presented a draft water conservation element at a July 16 work session, saying much of the content comes from existing city water planning and that the city aims to present the chapter to council well before the state deadline of Dec. 31, 2025.
Planning staff told the Orem City Planning Commission on July 16 that the Utah Legislature requires cities to include a water conservation element in their general plans and that Orem has a Dec. 31, 2025, compliance deadline. "We have a deadline of 12/31/2025," staff said, and asked the commission to review a draft so the city can take the chapter to the City Council several months before that date.
The staff presentation included three materials: a one-page summary, a longer three-page summary and the full draft chapter. Planning staff said roughly 90% of the material in the draft is drawn from existing city documents — notably the water master plan and the water conservation master plan — and that the draft has been reviewed by the city’s water department and several state agencies for statutory compliance.
Commission staff described the draft as mainly a consolidation and formalization of actions the city is already pursuing, including recycled-effluent reuse for parks, accelerated leak detection and landscaping standards. Staff said the packet intentionally gave the commission extra time to review before a formal public hearing. Planning staff indicated they will return with the item as a public hearing and said the general plan update will be formatted around the new chapter once adopted.
No formal motion or vote took place at the July 16 work session. Staff asked commissioners to read the packet and noted they expect to present the item to the City Council as a formal hearing item before the December deadline.
Commissioners and staff said the office intends a subsequent, more detailed presentation and public hearing prior to final action. The commission did not set a specific adoption date at the July 16 meeting.
