Washington County implements water regulations on new developments amid growth, drought
Sean Hemmersmeier
Faced with continuing drought and one of the fastest-growing populations in the U.S., the Washington County Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to apply new water restrictions to every new residential and commercial development.
The new rules won't apply to any existing homes or commercial buildings, but they could hopefully provide a better balance between what water is available with the continued demand for new construction, said Adam Snow, a member of the three-member commission, which regulates buildings requirements for all of the unincorporated areas of the county.
“We want to have beautiful communities and a beautiful place to live and maintain our quality of life,” Snow said. “We're doing it as effectively and efficiently as possible with our water, which is a very sacred resource right now.”
The changes will be written into Title 10, Chapter 27 of the county code. They will only apply to projects on unincorporated county land that still need approval from the county to go forward, although they resemble similar measures being passed by cities and towns in the area. Snow said about 5% of the county’s population lives on unincorporated land.
For residential dwellings, builders will:
- Need to install hot water recirculation systems, unless displacement is less than .6 gallons of system water
- Need to install WaterSense fixtures including faucets, showerheads and toilets as well as installing Energy Star appliances
- Installing water metering systems that can track how much water each individual housing unit is using, this applies to single-family and multi-family developments
Grass allocation and Landscape requirements:
- Homes up to 6,000 sq/ft = maximum of 750 sq/ft of grass
- Homes with 6,000 - 12,000 sq/ft = maximum of 1,000 sq/ft of grass
- Homes with 12,000 - 18,000 sq/ft = maximum of 1,250 sq/ft of grass
- Homes with 18,000 - 24,000 sq/ft = maximum of 1,500 sq/ft of grass
- Homes over 24,000 sq/ft = maximum of 2,000 sq/ft of grass
- Any lot or parcel that exceeds one acre gets a maximum of 2,000 sq/ft of grass
- Residential developments with 10 or less housing units need two-water efficient shade trees and a minimum of 1.5 inch caliper trunk
Washington County landscape and watering ordinance for new development | PDF
Washington County and the rest of Utah remain in a historically bad drought, the worst in 1,200 years according to reports. Over 99% of the state has severe drought conditions and statewide the reservoir capacity is at 58% which is a decrease from last year when the capacity level was at 67%, according to the Utah Division of Water Resources.
Related:Utah water managers say spring runoff won't come close to filling reservoirs
These changes should only impose “minimal regulations” on single-family homes, said Devin Snow, a deputy county attorney for Washington County. The bigger changes will be applied to commercial developments and multi-family developments like apartment buildings, he said.
The restrictions will place limits on how much grass is allowed in new developments, where trees should be placed, which water fixtures should be used and how large water features can be, according to Devin Snow. The ordinance indicates only water features that use less than 50 gallons and have recirculating pumps will be approved.
Grass on park strips will also be prohibited and any non-recreational grass less than eight feet wide and on any slope that exceeds 15%, the ordinance indicates. These areas can be planted with "deep-rooting, water conserving plants that don't include grass," according to the ordinance.
The ordinance also requires only misting sprinkler systems can be used from May to August and anytime the temperature is at or over 90 degrees Farenheit.
Commissioner Gil Almquist pointed out that these restrictions will also supersede any restrictions enacted by a homeowners association in the future.
New rules will also be imposed for specific businesses. New car washes will have a limit of using 35 gallons of water per car and new golf courses will be required to use non-culinary water to keep the grass green.
Other conservation measures endorsed by the Washington County Water Conservancy District include time-of-day watering regulations to reduce evaporation, said Zach Renstrom the executive director for the conservancy district, during a presentation to the Washington County planning commission earlier this year.
Other indoor conservation measures recommended by the district include installing WaterSense and Energy Star appliances in homes and putting individual meters for units in multi-family housing. Outdoor conservation recommendations include limiting grass area based on lot size, avoiding narrow grass strips, and only placing a small amount of water-efficient trees and shrubs on properties.
Although the restrictions passed by the county commission won’t affect a majority of residents in the county, new water rules are being passed by multiple governments to ensure there is some uniformity in water regulations throughout the county. The St. George City Council just wrapped a series of stakeholder meetings on a new water ordinance. Washington City was set to hold a meeting on Wednesday night to further discuss its new water ordinance and Santa Clara already passed its own version.
Both commissioners Snow and Almquist both said these new restrictions were a result of a water summit meeting held by the county and the water district in which local governments were urged to consider stricter rules.
Adam Snow said the meeting was intended for local governments to move in “lockstep” to enact conservation measures ahead of another expected hot and dry summer.
“It allows us to continue some growth, but with more restrictive water consumption for that new growth,” he said.
Other resources to help both residents and visitors to improve water conservation can be found on the Washington County Water Conservancy District’s website, including information on rebates for implementing conservation measures like planting desert-friendly trees and installing water-efficient toilets.
Sean Hemmersmeier covers local government, growth and development in Southwestern Utah. Follow on Twitter @seanhemmers34. Our work depends on subscribers so if you want more coverage on these issues you can subscribe here: http://www.thespectrum.com/subscribe.