The Utah Rivers Council introduced a sweeping series of proposals to the Legislature's Water Issues Task Force at the Capitol, including draft legislation that would provide more flexibility in municipal landscaping ordinances, the creation of a state water conservation office and a program for water conservation in state facilities.
The group also called for the state to recast its water conservation goal by calling for a 30 percent decrease in per capita water use by 2050. The state's current goal is a 25 percent reduction.
"These proposals are very preliminary, but we wanted to open the door for dialogue," said Mark Danenhauer, the Utah Rivers Council's rivers solutions coordinator.
Danenhauer noted that the state has made significant water conservation strides in the past decade, lowering its daily per capita water use from 321 gallons to 264 gallons - an 18 percent decrease. But he added that Utah can do much more, and cited recent public opinion polls that showed wide support for stronger water conservation measures.
Relatively speaking, "Water conservation is underfunded in Utah," Danenhauer said, contrasting the $200,000 the Utah Division of Water Resources is spending this year on conservation programs versus the nearly $4 million for the planning and construction of water projects.
The three draft bills, which Rep. Brad King, D-Price, has agreed to sponsor, essentially put the state in a more proactive role when it comes to promoting and implementing water conservation measures, Danenhauer said.
In addition to the draft legislation, the conservation group has proposed establishing a water conservation matching grants program that could provide up to an 80 percent matching grants to municipalities that create water conservation plans and implement them.
Division of Water Resources officials say they support many of the goals of the Utah River Council's proposal, but pointed out that some of the same ideas sit on their drawing board - and have thus far lacked funding.
"A lot of this is already taking place in the division," said Warren Peterson, a member of the Utah Board of Water Resources. "What you'd be doing is creating fiefdoms that wouldn't have the economies of scale that the division does.
"I'm not saying more can't be done. What I am saying is that a lot of this is already in place."
But Danenhauer argued that his group's proposal will lead to savings, not just in water, but money.
Developing water projects has become "an old-fashioned solution, because the days of cheap water are over," he said. "Conservation is really a way to develop new water sources."
jbaird@sltrib.com
A plan for saving water
Highlights of the water conservation proposal the Utah Rivers Council presented to legislators this week:
* FLEXIBILITY IN LANDSCAPING ORDINANCES: The plan seeks to clear up what are often ambiguous and conflicting city and county landscaping ordinances. Under the proposed legislation, municipalities would no longer be allowed to prohibit or limit the installation of low-water landscaping, such as xeriscaping.
* CREATION OF A STATE WATER CONSERVATION OFFICE: A proposed bill would allow the state to coordinate its various water conservation efforts with a dedicated staff and budget.
* ENCOURAGE WATER CONSERVATION IN STATE FACILITIES: This would provide "a mechanism" to identify water conservation goals while analyzing opportunites. The proposed legislation would cover state buildings and parks.
