Planning Commission hears 90% draft of water‑use preservation element; public urges equity and demonstration projects

The Cedar City Planning Commission held a public hearing on the 90% draft Water Use and Preservation Element of the General Plan and heard a technical presentation from Ridley Griggs of HAL Engineering outlining the state requirement and the plan’s key findings. Griggs said the element is required by recent state legislation and that the draft maps current use, compares city performance to state conservation goals, and identifies strategies for securing future reliable supply.

Griggs told commissioners the plan reports historic per‑capita water use (gallons per capita per day) and shows Cedar City has met the broader regional conservation goal and has hovered near a stricter subregional goal over the last decade. He said the city’s current systems use roughly 7,000 acre‑feet per year, while long‑term demand could approach nearly 14,000…