Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
South Jordan amends water-share code to follow state ERC rules
Summary
The council adopted Ordinance 2026-15 to change water-share exaction calculations from an acre-foot basis to equivalent residential connections (ERCs) and to remove nonresidential water-share requirements, bringing the city into compliance with a recent state law change.
The South Jordan City Council on June 2 adopted Ordinance 2026-15 to revise city code 16.04.320, replacing the previous acre-feet-based water-share exaction with a calculation tied to equivalent residential connections (ERCs) to comply with a state law change.
City Engineer and Director of Engineering Brad Clavinow said the change responds to an appeal reviewed by the property-rights ombudsman and to a state-law update that requires jurisdictions to calculate exactions on an ERC basis rather than on a fixed acre-feet-per-acre formula. "Essentially, that's what the change to the code is: to strike out 2.2 acre-feet of water per year and changing it to the average annual demand per ERC," Clavinow said.
Why it matters: City staff said the ERC method aligns water-share exactions with meter-based demand and will simplify administration (a meter connection is easier to map than acreage calculations). Clavinow and staff noted the change could yield slightly more or slightly less water-share contribution depending on lot size and density (larger lots could yield fewer shares under ERC; smaller lots could yield more). The ordinance also corrects code language that had, in error, required water shares from commercial, industrial and mixed-use projects; the amendment removes that nonresidential requirement.
Council discussion: Council members asked whether accessory dwelling units would require separate meters (staff said generally not) and whether the change could create differences for lot subdivisions; staff said it depends on meter connections and lot configuration.
Vote: Ordinance 2026-15 passed on a roll-call vote following the public hearing (no members of the public testified at the hearing). The council indicated the city will discuss additional water policy items in a future work session.
Next steps: Staff will implement the ERC-based calculation in development review and bring related water policy matters back to a work session later this summer.
