Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council updates water-share code to ERCs to comply with state guidance
Summary
The council approved an ordinance changing water-share exactions from acre-feet-per-acre calculations to equivalent residential connections (ERCs) and removed language implying collection from nonresidential development; city engineers said the change aligns the code with a state law change and will simplify calculations.
The South Jordan City Council voted on June 2 to amend City Code section 16.04.320 to change how the city calculates required water-share exactions for new development.
Brad Clavinow, the city engineer and director of engineering, told the council that an opinion from the state property-rights ombudsman's office found the city's prior language using acre-feet per acre no longer aligns with state law. "There was a change in the state law that says we can't do it on acre-feet per acre as we have been doing it, and it has to be done on ERCs, equivalent residential connections," Clavinow said. To avoid repeatedly amending the code when the city's ERC metrics change, the ordinance references an administrative memorandum that establishes the ERC measure.
Clavinow also said the code language had unintentionally allowed collection from commercial, industrial and mixed-use development, which the city had not enforced for the past two decades. The amendment explicitly removes nonresidential exactions so the city continues to collect water shares from residential development only, consistent with historical practice.
Council members asked technical questions about how the ERC-based calculation would affect collections depending on lot size and density. Clavinow and City Manager Dustin Lewis said the ERC method could yield slightly more or less water-share contributions depending on parcel sizes and that staff plans a work session later in the summer for a deeper review of water shares and usage in coordination with Jordan Valley water issues.
The council moved, seconded and adopted Ordinance 2026-15 by roll-call vote. Council members who voted yes were Johnson, Shelton, Harris, Zander and McGuire.
What happens next: staff will use the ERC-based calculation for new development submittals, update relevant administrative memoranda, and schedule a work session to review water-share policy and coordination with regional water providers.
