Planning commission adopts water-use element for general plan, forwards addendum to county commissioners

The Emery County Planning Commission voted unanimously to adopt a water-use element and related resource-management updates to the county general plan and recommended the addendum to the county commissioners for final consideration.

Andrea, a representative from the Division of Water Resources, told the commission the state had requested the water-use element to be added and that the section appears near the end of the plan (page 49, water use and preservation, with highlighted changes beginning around page 54). The element lists local water suppliers, projected future demand tied to population and jobs, references regional conservation goals, and includes a water-conservation section aligned to state recommendations. Andrea said the Division of Drinking Water and the Division of Agriculture had reviewed the proposed content.

Commissioners discussed keeping the general plan as a living document to allow future modifications and asked staff to bring updates as laws or conditions change. After discussion a motion to adopt the addendum and recommend it to the county commission passed unanimously. Planning staff said they will forward the updated plan to county commissioners and can update the plan in future meetings as needed.

The commission also approved its 2026 meeting calendar (first/second Wednesday of each month) and agreed to start the March–May meetings at 11 a.m. to accommodate members’ schedules.

What happens next: The adopted addendum will be sent to the county commissioners for final action; staff will circulate the approved schedule and incorporate any state or local changes to the resource-management plan as needed.