Water advisory board recommends conservative water allocation for proposed Michie Lane stake center

The Midway Water Advisory Board on Jan. 5 recommended approval of a water allocation for a proposed LDS stake center on Michie Lane, finding the project's projected water use fits within local usage patterns and presenting a conservative culinary allotment.

Staff member presented the project as an 18.61-acre lot of record with 4.85 acres to be developed for the stake center. Staff said most of that 4.85 acres would be impervious (about 3.4 acres), leaving roughly 1.48 acres of irrigated landscape, which the presentation calculated at about 4.4 acre-feet of irrigation demand. For culinary use — including a baptismal font and a total of 29 fixtures — staff recommended assigning 0.8 acre-feet, the same per-connection amount the board typically uses for home connections in Midway. "0.8 again is what a normal home connection is, but it looks like it's gonna cover the amount needed for the church," staff said.

Board members asked staff to double-check comparative usage figures from other stake centers in the valley before finalizing the paperwork. One member asked for data from stake centers on the east side of the valley; staff agreed to gather those figures and noted Midway's historical data show similar buildings tend to use relatively little water. Members also discussed connection details: the applicant requested a 2-inch culinary connection and would pay required impact fees; staff said meter function and impact fees would limit actual use to the established allocation.

The board approved the recommendation by voice vote after a motion and second recorded in the minutes. The vote was taken as a voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript, and members confirmed the recommendation would move forward. Staff noted the project still needs a conditional-use permit and other development approvals before construction proceeds. Members and the applicant discussed possible construction timing — the applicant had previously mentioned 2027 but indicated funding could accelerate that timeline — and staff offered to provide conditional-use application details and follow up with the applicant.

The board's recommendation will be forwarded to the appropriate permitting process and the irrigation company and city staff for any necessary final calculations and permit conditions.