Utah’s 2022 legislative session concluded with a record number of water conservation bills and appropriations totaling nearly $500 million in spending. Utah’s conservation bills are designed to help bolster water levels in reservoirs throughout the state by reducing demand via a variety of conservation efforts, including required metering of secondary water, agricultural optimization, the nation’s first statewide grass removal rebate program and watershed enhancement efforts. Statewide water storage is at a dismal 42% of capacity.
Water is also the focus of Utah’s executive leadership, with Governor Spencer J. Cox undertaking a coordinated action plan with various state agencies focusing on infrastructure investments, vibrant communities, productive agriculture and heathy waters and watersheds. At the local level, water districts are implementing a variety of drought mitigation measures including additional infrastructure investments, aggressive conservation programs, reuse projects and municipally mandated water efficiency standards for new construction. Communities in southern Utah have banned non-functional grass in all new commercial, institutional and industrial developments. Read more about Utah in the CRWUA Annual Report.