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Planning staff previews water element for Duchesne County general plan; commissioners push smaller working groups
Summary
Staff previewed an early draft of the general plan water element and outreach results, noting a state-guided target (18% reduction for the Green River planning area) and proposing measures such as metering secondary/irrigation water and updating subdivision standards; commissioners asked for focused working groups to refine water and housing policies.
Planning staff briefed the Duchesne County Planning Commission on outreach results and an initial draft of the water element for the county’s general plan.
Gabby Blackburn summarized public outreach and survey results showing residents prefer concentrating growth in towns rather than agricultural areas. Staff said the water element must reflect the state’s reduction targets for the Green River planning area and explained an 18% per-capita reduction target is the technical benchmark the county was asked to incorporate. The draft recommends investigative and voluntary strategies such as better metering and tracking of secondary and irrigation water, updating subdivision requirements to require metering where irrigation will be used as secondary water, and pursuing stormwater and infrastructure improvements.
Commissioners and staff discussed growth scenarios and water-demand modeling: a status-quo growth projection shows modest increases; a tech/manufacturing scenario could raise demand significantly and require acquiring additional culinary water and addressing power constraints; an agriculture-focused trajectory yields slower population growth but higher water use. Commissioners asked staff to convene smaller working groups to refine water and housing policies and to get more detailed data from local water providers about current supply and metering.
Staff said the water element draft is the most advanced section and that the team will solicit more written feedback and convene targeted stakeholder meetings to translate draft policies into specific subdivision and infrastructure recommendations.
