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Cedar City hears public input on 90% draft water-use preservation plan amid long-term supply concerns
Summary
At a public hearing, HAL Engineering’s Ridley Griggs told the Cedar City Planning Commission that per-capita use has fallen but long-term supply could fall short of projected demand; residents urged nonpunitive incentives, demonstration projects and better customer education. The commission will return the draft for recommendation Nov. 18.
The Cedar City Planning Commission on Oct. 21 heard a presentation on the 90% draft Water Use Preservation element of the general plan and public comment calling for education, demonstration projects and equitable rate design.
Ridley Griggs, identified in the meeting as representing HAL Engineering (presentation also referenced the firm name Hanson Allen and Luce), said the state now requires communities to account for how they will acquire and preserve water and that Cedar City’s plan synthesizes prior local work and the commission’s prior feedback. “The law tells us we now have to” account for water supply and preservation, Griggs said, citing recent legislative momentum driven in part by concerns about the Great Salt Lake.
Griggs presented historical gallons-per-capita-per-day data and said Cedar City’s per-capita use has trended downward from 2000 to 2024 and has generally met the state’s subregional conservation goal in recent years. He cautioned, however, that broader supply constraints remain: “Existing demand is between about 7,008 acre-feet per year,” Griggs said, and projected future need could grow “up to nearly 14,000 acre-feet” by 2060–2065, while reliable long-term supply is “a little more than 6,000 acre-feet per year” after scheduled reductions under the local groundwater management plan.
City engineering staff and commissioners clarified data sources: Jonathan Stout of the city engineering department explained the population figures come from census data and off-year estimates (KEMC Gardner Institute), which staff use to compute per-capita metrics.
Public commenters urged the commission to prioritize education and incentive-based approaches over punitive rate designs. Anne Clark called tiered pricing a “punishment tax,” saying it can disproportionately burden larger and lower-income households. “I am so opposed to the punishment tax,” Clark said, arguing that tiered rates leave low-income families unable to afford green space and may produce inequitable outcomes.
Corine Severn, a Forbey Ranch resident, offered practical suggestions for new developments (limit turf to front or back yard, set size caps) and recommended providing educational materials at water-service sign-up and restoring a local demonstration garden to show viable low-water landscaping.
Dr. Sean Severn, a 40-year environmental scientist, urged policies that shape behavior by choice and recommended city-led demonstration projects and technology pilots. “If you don’t lead by example, nobody’s gonna pay attention to you,” he said, recommending infiltration galleries, gray-water options for new communities, and city demonstration sites that show residents what works locally.
Griggs and staff discussed a suite of strategies the draft ranks as near-term priorities: centralized public education materials, smart irrigation controllers on city properties, a possible water-conservation committee to study implementation details, and exploring turf-buyback matching programs with state and district partners. Griggs also noted near-term technical work: the city is advancing an effluent-reuse study and staff said the wastewater treatment plant currently could yield roughly 3,400 acre-feet per year of type-1 (nonpotable) effluent under today’s operations, though seasonal storage and delivery constraints would limit availability without further infrastructure.
Commissioners and staff flagged several implementation limits: state law constrains the city’s ability to enforce landscape-plan submittal by delaying permit issuance or occupancy, and some policy tools will require coordinated changes and legal review. Griggs said a no-turf conservation tier and limits on pools/ponds are included for further study but are not immediate commitments.
The commission closed the public hearing after receiving comments and directed staff to incorporate feedback; the draft is scheduled to return to the commission for a formal recommendation on Nov. 18.
Ending: The meeting record shows continued staff follow-up on effluent reuse, partnerships with the Central Iron County Water Conservancy District, and a proposed conservation committee before the plan returns to the commission.
