Roy planning commission forwards water-usage and conservation element to city council

On Dec. 9, 2025, the Roy City Planning Commission unanimously voted to forward a recommended amendment to the city's general plan that adds a state-required water-usage and conservation element.

The recommendation followed a presentation by Tim Watkins of the Wasatch Front Regional Council, who said the Division of Water Resources reviewed the draft and "said that it meets state requirements," and that the city received a $10,000 grant to fund landscape concepts and water-use calculations. Watkins walked commissioners through population scenarios for 2030, 2040 and 2050 and corresponding indoor and outdoor water-use projections.

The draft compares projected demand with supply. Commissioners were told Roy City holds roughly 10,100 acre-feet of water rights and that even on higher-growth projections total demand would be a fraction of that. As the chair summarized during the meeting: "we have ownership rights or water rights to 10,100 acre feet of water." The element nonetheless recommends conservation strategies and code studies to guide future development and protect long-term supply.

Key recommendations in the draft include adding local photo examples and water-wise landscaping diagrams, studying "right-sized" activity-area standards for townhome and multifamily zones, and reviewing multifamily open-space percentages and impervious-coverage rules to reduce unnecessary turf. The draft also suggests irrigation-audit training for staff and clarifying landscape- and open-space standards in several code sections.

During public comment, resident Kevin Homer praised the document as "pretty good and meaningful," urged the commission to identify an authoritative population-data source for projections, recommended that wholesale water sales to neighboring entities be explicitly included in supply tables, and suggested examining power backups for well pumps, including solar, to ensure pumping capacity during emergencies. Another resident, Shelley Polston, asked whether Roy faces a water shortage; staff and commissioners explained the distinction between local water-right holdings and broader statewide conditions and said the element is focused on future growth rather than retrofitting existing yards.

Watkins noted the water conservation plan already contains a wholesale-contract column that reflects West Haven purchases (current purchases ~220 acre-feet with a contract up to 500 acre-feet) and recommended clarifying that column header in the plan. Commissioners asked staff to incorporate today's comments and to cross-reference the municipal shade-tree code where appropriate.

A motion to forward a positive recommendation to the city council passed on a roll call vote with Commissioners Bailey, Hobert, Kelly, Bills, Tanner, Reed and Graff each voting "aye." Staff said they would incorporate the clarifying edits (including the wholesale-contract header and a shade-tree reference) and transmit the amended element to the council.

The commission's action sends the water-usage and conservation element to the Roy City Council for consideration; staff expects to provide the council packet with the revised text and clarified tables in advance of the council meeting.