Citizen Portal
Sign In

Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!

Committee backs bill limiting overhead irrigation for small, nonfunctional turf in Great Salt Lake Basin

Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee · March 3, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Sponsors said House Bill 328 would require water-wise design for new commercial, institutional and industrial developments in the Great Salt Lake Basin by defining 'nonfunctional turf' and discouraging overhead spray irrigation in small, low‑use areas; supporters emphasized conservation while turf producers urged narrowly tailored definitions.

The Senate Government Operations Committee voted to recommend House Bill 328 out of committee after a lengthy public-comment period that included water districts, municipal staff, turf producers and conservation groups.

Joel Williams, director of the Division of Water Resources, told senators the bill is narrowly focused: it applies only to new development in the Great Salt Lake Basin and to commercial, institutional and industrial properties, not existing residential yards or existing development. ‘‘I wanna make it clear, we're not anti grass. Grass is great,’’ Williams said,…

Already have an account? Log in

Subscribe to keep reading

Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.

  • Unlimited articles
  • AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
  • Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
  • Follow topics and more locations
  • 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
30-day money-back on paid plans