Division of Water Resources unveils draft State Water Plan; public comment open through Aug. 23

The Utah Division of Water Resources on Thursday presented a draft State Water Plan that the agency says will serve as a strategic framework for state and local decision‑making on water resources. Stephanie McGinnis, the division’s state water plan manager, described the plan as a collaborative document with chapters on healthy watersheds, vibrant communities and productive agriculture and said the draft contains roughly 30–35 recommendations to guide future action.

"The state water plan brings together science, data, local expertise, and public input to help answer" how Utah prepares for a changing water future, McGinnis said during the open house. She urged residents to review the draft and submit feedback; the public comment period is open through Aug. 23 and the division plans to publish a final plan in December after reviewing comments.

McGinnis emphasized the plan is meant to inform — not to regulate — and that it relies on broad interagency collaboration. "This collaboration at the state and local levels helps to ensure that the plan reflects the diverse water perspectives and needs across the state," she said. Director Joel Williams opened the event and reminded attendees that submitted questions and answers will be posted on statewaterplan.utah.gov by late August.

The presentation identified key focus areas, a set of statewide recommendations and a technical update in chapter 3 that staff will expand with further modeling. The division said materials and data underlying the plan are available via its open data portal at water.utah.gov/opendata.