Council Provided Information - 12/6/2022CITY COUNCIL OF SALT LAKE CITY
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COUNCIL
STAFF REPORT
CITY COUNCIL of SALT LAKE CITY
TO: City Council Members
FROM: Sam Owen, Policy Analyst
DATE: December 6, 2022
RE: Ordinance: Establishing Limits
For New Water Availability
ISSUE AT A GLANCE
The purpose of the proposal is to “advance water conservation and management efforts with respect to
water services provided by the city to help assure that water is available for the city’s water customers
in the future.”
In other words, the proposal before the Council is one measure to conserve future water use and
protect the investment and resources of city residents.
INTRO AND KEY ITEMS
The Council previously adopted a land use ordinance to prohibit industrial and commercial uses
consuming over 200,000 gallons per day.
One challenge for planning and securing the water supply future for this area is that tools available to
the city to manage water supply do not always extend through the system.
The current land use ordinance does not apply to customers on the water system who are exempt from
changes in the city zoning to limit water use, for example businesses and residences outside the city.
This proposed ordinance expands that prohibition to the city’s entire water service area, which goes
beyond Salt Lake City into neighboring jurisdictions.
Item Schedule:
Briefing: December 6, 2022
Public Hearing:
Potential Action: December 6, 2022
Page | 2
POLICY QUESTIONS
1. The city sells water outside its delivery system under limited circumstances. How do the city’s
surplus water agreements compare in terms of quantity with the restriction being proposed?
2. Notably, the proposal provides that “an existing water customer that currently exceeds the
water use threshold of 200,000 gallons of potable water per day will not receive water service
from the City if the expansion will result in a net increase in water consumption or use.”
The Council might ask about whether the large-scale water users on the system outside the city
are comparable to number and frequency of those in the city.
Does the department anticipate more relatively intensive water use demand outside the city?
ADDITIONAL & BACKGROUND INFORMATION
One whereas clause in the resolution that adopts the ordinance states, “immediate steps are
appropriate to limit use of the City’s water resources by water consumers that would consume very
large quantities of water that would exacerbate the pressures on the City’s water resources and the
Great Salt Lake system.”