Ivins City Manager Dale Coulam told the City Council at its June 3, 2021 meeting that the Water Conservancy District is preparing a list of recommendations to conserve water. Among the actions, the District recommends:
- Future development agreements and preliminary plans and plats contain a statement that, “The developer acknowledges the potential shortage of culinary and secondary water in the City and understands that building permits will be issued only upon availability…”
- Limiting the amount of turf in front and back yards for new construction. Dale says he believes they are looking at specific square footage amounts. He also commented that residents could still have a green yard using desert grasses and drought-resistant plants or xeriscape.
Councilmember Sue Gordhammer recommended excluding grass completely for new development. She sees this and other water conservation measures necessary to justify building a wastewater treatment plant. Councilmember Dennis Mehr was concerned that eliminating grass could discourage families with young children from moving to Ivins and make Ivins a less diverse community.
Dale explained that the District’s potential recommendation on limiting grass would only apply to new subdivisions, not situations where there is only one or two lots left to build on in a neighborhood. That’s because those infill homes will look out of place with the rest of the neighborhood.
Mayor Hart said that there are technologies that use water for grass more efficiently, like subsurface irrigation and electronic moisture sensors. Those or other technologies could become requirements for new development and would reduce the water use impact from grass.
Dale noted that the language the District is recommending for development agreements, plats, and preliminary plans could effectively limit development of new subdivisions. He also suggested that the Council can slow growth if there is a lot of housing inventory already in the pipeline.
Note: Please let me know if I have misunderstood anything in this discussion. Also, please share your comments and tell me about other Ivins issues I have not addressed in recent posts. CONTACT ME
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