Required Recommendations From The Planning Commission

§10-9a-403 of Utah State Code outlines that the water use and preservation element of a general plan must include recommendations from the Planning Commission for:

• Applicable regional water conservation goals recommended by the Division of Water Resources;
• If the municipality is required to adopt a water conservation plan:
  • Water conservation policies to be determined by the municipality;
  • Landscaping options within a public street for current and future development that do not require the use of lawn or turn in a parkstrip.
• Changes to existing municipal ordinances that promote the inefficient use of water;
• Principles of sustainable landscaping, including:
  • Reduction or limitation of the use of lawn or turf;
  • Promotion of site-specific landscape design that decreases stormwater runoff or runoff of water used for irrigation;
  • Preservation and use of healthy trees that have a reasonable water requirement or are resistant to dry soil conditions;
  • Elimination or regulation of ponds, pools, and other features that promote unnecessary water evaporation;
  • Reduction of yard waste; and
  • Use of an irrigation system, including drip irrigation, best adapted to provide the optimal amount of water to the plants being irrigated;
• Recommendations for additional water demand reduction strategies including:
  • Creating a water budget associated with a particular type of development;
  • Adopting new or modified lot size, configuration, and landscaping standards that will reduce water demand for new single-family development;
  • Providing one or more water reduction incentives for existing development such as modification of existing landscapes and irrigation systems and installation of water fixtures or systems that minimize water demand;
  • Disincentives for economic development activities that do not adequately account for water use or do not include strategies for reducing water demand; 
  • Adopting water concurrency standards requiring that adequate water supplies and facilities are or will be in place for new development; and
  • For a town (optional) or for a city (required), a recommendation for low-water-use landscaping standards for new commercial, industrial, or institutional developments, common-interest communities, or multi-family housing projects.