Cedar City council hears spike in municipal water use and directs staff to build an outreach and planning committee

Councilman Phillips opened a discussion May 6 asking whether the city had plans for water restrictions after a dry winter. Matt Baker of the Water Department told council the current municipal irrigation schedule remains 8 a.m.–6 p.m. but emphasized the need for planning: “we have a program now where you can watch your water usage online…You can see your water usage when your sprinklers turn on,” he said, directing residents to the Neptune 360 portal on the city website.

Baker presented daily use numbers showing a recent climb from roughly 3.5 million gallons in mid‑March to a high of 8.98 million gallons on one recent day, which prompted multiple council members to ask for triggers and numeric thresholds to prompt staged restrictions. Council discussed working through an education‑first strategy, encouraging smart controllers and outreach to large institutional users (parks, schools, university and churches) to lead by example.

Outcome and next steps: The council asked staff to form a short‑term water planning committee with representation from public works, water, parks and the new public information officer. The council directed staff to prepare a public education push (newsletter and billing inserts) and to return with proposed threshold metrics and an implementation plan in 30 days.

Speakers quoted: Matt Baker, Water Department; Councilman Phillips.