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Council adopts water use and preservation element of the general plan, clarifies it does not regulate agricultural irrigation
Summary
The council adopted an update to the general plan's water use and preservation element that focuses on the city's drinking and pressurized irrigation systems; staff stressed the element guides city policy for water delivered through municipal pipes and is not intended to regulate traditional agricultural ditch irrigation.
On March 24 the Spanish Fork City Council adopted an updated water use and preservation element for the city's general plan. Staff presented changes made after December’s review to clarify intent and to ensure the element focuses on water conveyed through the city's piped systems rather than on irrigation ditch operations.
Corey Pierce (community development/engineering) told the council the revised language replaces the earlier phrasing about "temporary agriculture" with clearer references to "agriculture connections" where property owners choose to receive pressurized irrigation (PI) service through the city system. Staff said these PI connections already exist for roughly a dozen agricultural parcels inside city limits and that use of the city's pressurized system is voluntary and driven by agreements that include operations‑and‑maintenance charges and formal arrangements with irrigation companies.
"This is about water that flows through our pipes," Pierce said, explaining that pressurized irrigation connections are an option when property owners, irrigation companies and the city agree and that the element does not impose new requirements on traditional agricultural ditch operations.
Council discussion covered groundwater recharge implications, whether PI conversions reduce infiltration and how the city coordinates delivery quantities with irrigation companies and the state. Staff responded that irrigation companies and river commissioners remain involved when water rights or points of diversion must be modified, and that the city evaluates whether its infrastructure can deliver requested quantities before approving PI services.
The council approved the ordinance adopting the water use and preservation element on a recorded roll‑call vote.
Next steps: staff will publish the adopted element on the city website and continue outreach (an open house and a public hearing were scheduled as part of the general plan update package). Councilmembers asked staff to keep the document a "living" plan that can be refined as policy and conditions change.
