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Council weighs 20% water-reduction mandate: close splash pad, prioritize playing fields
Summary
Facing a Weber Basin request to reduce municipal water use by 20%, staff presented options: shorten splash-pad hours, delay opening or barricade it while parts arrive, prioritize irrigating playing fields, xeriscape city hall, and develop tiered alert levels; council directed staff to draft a conservation framework and communications.
Staff told the council the city has effectively been asked to reduce water use by 20% by Weber Basin. Summer (parks staff) summarized regional practice and recommended a tiered approach that prioritizes playing fields and cemeteries while scaling back park-strip and passive-area watering. "We have a mandate, if you will, from Weber Basin to reduce our water by 20% as a city," staff said.
Councilors debated tradeoffs between conserving water and keeping community green spaces. Some councilors favored delaying or temporarily barricading the splash pad until parts are installed and the city can do a planned grand opening later; others cautioned about community expectations and usage by non-residents. Staff proposed a framework of alert levels (e.g., Alert 1–3) that would trigger progressive conservation measures citywide and recommended public education and signage for any temporary closures. The council asked staff to prepare a report on what other municipalities are doing and to prepare communications for residents if the council adopts conservation measures.
