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Residents urge city to reconsider restrictions on leasing secondary water shares
Summary
At public comment, multiple South Jordan residents opposed recent staff limits on leasing secondary water shares, asked for more data on city-held shares and urged an appeals process under city code; staff set a short deadline tied to the Utah Lake Distributing Canal Company deadline.
Mayor Dawn Ramsey opened public comment and asked staff to update the council on leasing rules for secondary water shares. Jason Rasmussen told the council staff sent instructions to prior lessees and set a deadline to notify the Utah Lake Distributing Canal Company by Friday, noting that the city will prioritize leases to South Jordan residents and that one share is generally sufficient on parcels of one acre or less.
Several residents challenged the proposed restrictions. Wayne King, who said he has tracked local usage since 2009, summarized what he described as 2025 usage figures — "37 property owners that were using secondary water," a weekly average of "69 total hours," and a split between "36 lease shares and 33 owned shares" — and said the changes would not meaningfully affect outflow to the Great Salt Lake. Charles Kimberly, citing the Utah Lake Distributing Company contract, told the council a ULDC share conveys "5.1 acre-feet of water per season" and argued the city cannot change the contracted allocation for lessees.
Other speakers asked the city to allow a hands-on review of delivery infrastructure and urged a transparent appeals process. One attendee asked City Manager Jason Rasmussen to convene a board of equalization under city code 13.08.025 for residents seeking more than one share; the speaker also raised conflict-of-interest concerns about council members who serve on water conservancy boards. Rasmussen offered to speak with residents in the foyer after the meeting and staff said they would accept written evidence and discuss accommodations on an individual basis.
The meeting did not include any council action on the water-share policy; Rasmussen said the city must meet the canal company deadline and encouraged affected residents to contact staff promptly. The city did not provide a public tally of city-owned versus leased shares during the meeting; several speakers requested that data be produced for review.
