Land Use & Water Use Planning

A Step-by-Step Guide

Municipal general plans have long been used to guide decisions and provide coordination of public values like land use and building codes to open space and cultural opportunities. However, one area not as well represented is the correlation of land use policies with their effect on current and future water resources.

As of 2022, state law now directs local government to do just that – and include the following areas in their general plans:

• the effect of permitted development on water demand and water infrastructure
• methods of reducing water demand and per capita consumption for future development
• methods of reducing water demand and per capita consumption for existing development
• opportunities to eliminate practices or conditions that waste water

Stepping through these areas one at a time allows communities to more effectively use the limited water resources available, and each municipality can individualize their actions to their needs.

1 Where Are We As A Community?

First, determine how your community is doing right now. Here are a few questions to think about:

• How much water is really available to our community right now?
• Given current ordinances and regulations, how much water do we anticipate will be needed to accommodate future growth if no changes are made?
• How do current development standards either encourage or discourage the use and management of water?

Having this broad discussion with several stakeholders will help give a better picture of the situation.

Determine how much water is used on a gallons per capita, per day (GPCD) basis. This requires information about your community’s population and how much water is used for both indoor and outdoor purposes, including water used by businesses, government, and public areas (such as churches, schools, parks, cemeteries and government buildings).

The retail water provider will be able to use data that it gathers through billing to get started on this analysis. Assistance with GPCD calculations is also available from the Utah Division of Water Resources (UDWRe) and from your wholesale water provider (if applicable).

2 What Can Be Done To Reduce Water Demand For Future Development?

The second step should involve the same group of stakeholders in a discussion of how ordinances and regulations can be modified to reduce the amount of water needed for future development. These reductions should also be analyzed on a GPCD basis. GPCD can be paired with population growth projections to determine if any changes will be effective at reducing water use, while recognizing that growth in the community’s total amount of water used may still occur. At this stage, other stakeholders could be included from groups with an interest in how the community grows.

Common areas of discussion might include things like lot sizes (especially how smaller lots might benefit single family homes), road pavement width standards (particularly in single family residential subdivisions) and identifying what types of development might unintentionally encourage significant amounts of water use.

While some industries and development require large amounts of water, there are always opportunities to ensure water use does not become excessive. Your community may also decide that certain types of uses are not compatible with the amount of available water, or that those uses should incorporate the efficient use of water as part of their operations.

This is also a good time to evaluate landscaping standards. Landscaping should be attractive and fit in with the community’s vision of what it wants to look like while not encouraging water waste. The law requires a recommendation in the general plan be made for water wise landscaping, including for a shared interest community like a PRUD or condominium, in most new developments.

Two of the most significant elements of a landscaping standard are limitations on where turf grass is allowed and the use of above ground sprinklers. Turf grass should only be used where it serves a purpose rather than for merely aesthetic purposes. Above ground sprinklers (where water is sprayed into the air) lead to significant amounts of evaporation and wasted water. On the other hand, landscaping with drip irrigation can be attractive without using large amounts of water. Turf grass and above ground sprinklers should be prohibited in areas that are less than eight feet in width.  A park strip or other narrow area can still have vegetations and even support trees of the right size, but irrigation should be provided through drip systems.

When discussing park strip landscaping, you should also look for opportunities to improve your community’s storm water compliance. Park strips that are covered entirely in hard surface materials will result in more storm water in the street, while those that allow for water to collect from the sidewalk or street can help reduce stormwater runoff.

Don’t forget to consider how these changes might affect water exactions from impact fees for water. As new development meets higher conservation targets, the impact of that development on water resources will generally be reduced. Think about how that reduction in demand plays into the allocation of existing or future facilities and the likelihood that the new development will have a different level of service than what is currently established.

3 How Can Existing Development Become More Water Efficient?

The third step looks at efforts to reduce water use in existing land uses. Your community may want to participate in or create a program that provides funding for the removal of existing grass – either in the park strip or as part of the larger landscaped area. Examine regulations and ordinances to ensure water conservation when land is redeveloped or buildings are remodeled.

If your municipality also operates as the retail water provider, consider the pros and cons of changing the retail water rate structure to support water conservation. While the general plan wouldn’t ordinarily go into the details of water rate structures, there are land use components to some possible methods of charging for water. For example, the retail water provider may want to adopt a rate schedule that includes a “water budget” based on the needs and circumstances of individual water users. A planning department may be able to provide support in developing such budgets.

Remember….

Landscape conversion is not the same as landscape elimination.

In order to make the most of the enthusiasm to convert existing grass landscapes, make sure your local government system is prepared to receive and process any required applications (such as site plans) to ensure that it can enforce its ordinances while still giving landowners flexibility to help reduce water demand.

4 How Can Local Government Change Its Operations to Conserve Water?

The final step is for municipalities to look at ways to modify their own operations to conserve water. These could include adopting water efficient principles for the design of new buildings or public spaces and the ability to retrofit existing facilities. Replacement of fixtures such as toilets and water faucets with more efficient fixtures could be considered, together with making changes to irrigation systems and methods, and proactively monitoring public facilities for water leaks.

What’s Next

The adoption of a new general plan element is not the end of the discussion. The final document might benefit from implementation timelines to adopt the various recommendations to keep momentum moving forward on water conservation efforts.

As planning commissioners, planners, elected officials and other stakeholders participate in the process of updating the general plan, you will build a better educated community that understands the importance of how water conservation allows communities to continue to thrive.