Legislative action on water conservation? Some say it’s time

SALT LAKE CITY — The topic of water conservation continues to heat up in the Beehive State, most recently with some advocating for legislative action.

Does water conservation warrant legislative action?

The comments come as the state continues to suffer through one of the worst droughts in the past six decades.

Over the weekend, Gov. Spencer Cox urged Utahns of faith to pray for an end to the drought.  Although, he was quick to point out that the call to prayer comes after he enacted specific water restriction measures.

And so, with all of that, and no short term relief in sight, I asked Utahns to join in prayer. Our state has a long history of petitioning deity to temper the elements. While I rarely look at social media replies, I was surprised at some of the vitriol and contempt. 11/

— Spencer Cox (@SpencerJCox) June 5, 2021

Zach Frankel with Utah Rivers Council is among those who argue that reactionary measures and prayer aren’t enough to help solve an ongoing problem.

While this specific drought is historic, he says water issues in Utah are nothing new.

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“Utah is the number one highest municipal water user in the country,” he told KSL Newsradio host Dave Noriega and Debbie Dujanovic. “We consistently ignore opportunities to save water.”

Charging for how much water you use

With that in mind, he thinks it’s time to consider legislation that would charge Utahns for the specific amount of secondary water they use. It’s an idea that he says has been met with scorn in the past.

“There’s been vehement opposition to not just metering secondary water, but to all manner of water conservation bills and policies,” he said.

According to Frankel, Utahns will be incentivized to use water more wisely if there is a direct financial impact on them.

The full interview with KSL Newsradio’s Dave & Dujanovic is below: