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Emery County holds public hearing on updated general plan; water requirements flagged for follow-up
Summary
At a Nov. 12 public hearing, county consultants presented a revised Emery County general plan with updates to energy and resource-management sections; the Utah Division of Water Resources asked the county to incorporate elements required by Senate Bill 76 and SB 110 before adoption.
Emery County planning consultants presented an updated general plan at a public hearing Nov. 12 and commissioners discussed next steps for adoption and coordination with state agencies.
Andrea Moser, a consultant working with the county on the update, said the draft incorporates public-survey feedback and highlights changes to resource-management elements and policies on energy, infrastructure and utilities. "The general plan has been published on the website with those highlighted changes," Moser said, urging commissioners to review the posted draft.
Haley Curlin of the Utah Division of Water Resources told the commission she could not find the water-use and preservation elements required by Senate Bill 76 and Senate Bill 110 in the highlighted sections and requested a follow-up meeting. "I don't see those elements right now in the highlighted section," Curlin said, and asked staff to schedule time to incorporate those statutory requirements before year-end deadlines.
Nicole Nelson of the Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office said the resource-management updates help the county coordinate with federal land managers (such as the BLM and Forest Service) and bring Emery County into compliance for managing federal land interactions under recent federal/state policy changes including the Dingle Act.
Commissioners discussed timing and agreed to coordinate updates with Bio West (the county's consultant), the Division of Water Resources, and county staff. Several commissioners recommended taking additional time and bringing a final recommendation to the county commission in January rather than rushing action in December so staff and consultants can ensure required elements are incorporated.
The commission took a motion to close the public hearing and reenter their regular meeting; no formal adoption by the commission occurred at this session. County staff and Bio West will prepare a revised draft that includes the water elements identified by the state and circulate it to commissioners ahead of the next action date.
