There’s a common belief that Summit County is in a water crisis, according to Summit County Councilmember Canice Harte. It’s something he hears from constituents, especially when the council is asked to approve or deny new developments.
“Some are clearly operating on this belief that we’re in some drastic water shortage, and I hear that and see that in social media and kind of around in general,” he said at the Oct. 21 Summit County Council meeting.
The council was discussing the Snyderville Basin's process to make sure water is available.
Water concurrency
The county’s civil attorney Dave Thomas said water companies in the Basin meet annually to assess each one’s “water bank account.”
The companies look at how much water they have on hand and subtract 15% to account for unexpected drought. Then they subtract the demand from customers.
“And in the end, you have a balance,” Thomas said. “And the balance is the surplus water you have that you can serve new development with.”
A water company with a negative balance can’t promise water to anyone new, which puts a cap on development.
The program is called “water concurrency,” and it’s been in place for more than two decades. The county health department has run the current program since 2016.
The program is the only one of its kind in Utah. Thomas said that’s because the Utah Legislature outlawed water concurrency, as it exists in the Snyderville Basin.
That prevents eastern Summit County from adopting similar conservation measures.
“Unfortunately, that's kind of the way that is,” Thomas said. “We may need to do something in terms of our land use codes, the eastern Summit County development code.”
The county council has pushed for more conversations about long-term water availability.
According to Thomas, there is water to go around right now. But if the Basin’s suppliers use up their water bank accounts, they may have to build an expensive pipeline to draw water from East Canyon Reservoir.
“The idea is that we don't come to that point until we’re truly out of water in the Basin,” he said. “And we have not reached that trigger at this point in time.”
In September, the largest Snyderville Basin water company, Mountain Regional Water Special Service District, announced it needs to find new sources to keep up with recently approved developments.
Summit County is a financial supporter of KPCW.
