At first glance, the prohibition planned at the soon-to-debut city pool seems to suit Kanab. After all, this is the same southern Utah town that embraced the "natural-family resolution" with its conservative call for breadwinning husbands and homemaking wives to rear a "full quiver of children."

But the advertised bikini ban sure isn't wearing well with some residents.

Raelyn Chavez calls it "crazy."

"People are going to be upset," the 20-year-old says. "I can't imagine swimming at Lake Powell without a bikini. I think it's religion taking over big time."

Linda Osborn says the swimwear rule - which also bars jeans, cutoffs and those skimpy Speedos - has been a hot topic at her coffee shop ever since it appeared in the Southern Utah News.

"Most are laughing about it," Osborn says.

She also wonders how tourists will greet the ban.

"Many of them have bikinis, so now they won't be able to swim."

Osborn surmises the city is just trying to maintain a family atmosphere at the long-awaited pool.

"They want to give it a G-rating," Osborn says. "This [City Council] is the same bunch who [adopted] the natural-family [resolution in 2006]."

Kanab's pool, years in coming, will be named the Cowboy Water'n' Hole and is scheduled to open by July Fourth.

Josie Orton, 14, says she and her friends are not thrilled about the dress code.

"It's not going to work out well," she says. "A lot of us have already bought our suits [including bikinis]."

Orton says her parents and their friends have waded into the controversy as well.

"They think it has to change," she says.

Kanab Councilwoman Nina Laycook is confident the city will modify the rule.

"That was meant for thong bikinis and things like that," she says. "It was an oversight on our part."

Laycook says the standard springs from the city's parks and recreation policy manual and will be adjusted.

"We'll have to amend [the policy] from time to time," she said.

If the bikini ban sticks, it apparently would be a rarity for a Utah public pool.

Matt Johnson, coordinator at the Fairmont Aquatic Center in Salt Lake City, says all Salt Lake County-run pools allow two-piece suits.

Even conservative Provo permits bikinis.

"I've worked at pools in several states," says Cathy Smits, aquatic supervisor of the Provo Recreation Center and Pool, "and to ban bikinis seems pretty extreme."

Too much skin, however, can be too much for a public pool. A thong, for instance, is a no-no, Smits says. And some kids recently wore T-shirts with an expletive printed on them. They were asked to remove the shirts if they continued swimming at the Provo pool.

"We didn't ask them to leave," Smits says.

For her part, Osborn laments a less-talked-about part of the ban planned at Kanab's pool.

"Really, the saddest part is no Speedos."

mhavnes@sltrib.com

What the Kanab pool's rule states

Kanab's hotly anticipated city pool may open by Independence Day amid a splash of controversy after the Southern Utah News published the following rule for attire: "Dress standards: Modest swimming suits (no Speedos, jeans, cutoff shorts or bikinis)!"