HomeMy Public PortalAboutRES-CC-1999-15Resolution 15-99
A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE CITY OF MOAB WATER CONSERVATION PLAN.
Whereas, pursuant to the requirements of H.B. 418, the City of Moab prepared a water
conservation plan; and
Whereas, the City of Moab held a public hearing to receive input on the plan on June 22, 1999;
and
Whereas, the City of Moab Water Conservation Plan has been presented to this meeting of the
City Council;
NOW THEREFORE, WE, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF MOAB, DO
HEREBY RESOLVE TO ADOPT THE PLAN AS PRESENTED TO THIS MEETING.
This resolution shall take effect immediately upon passage.
Passed and adopted by action of the Governing Body of the City of Moab in open session
this 13th day of July, 1999.
CITY OF MOAB
Karla R. Hancock
Mayor
Rachel Ellison
City Recorder
WATER CONSERVATION PLAN
City of Moab
Grand County, Utah
June 1999 - Adopted by Resolution #15-99
To meet the requirements of H.B. 418, an unfunded mandate
passed in the 1998 General Session of the Utah State Legislature
Utah Code Annotated 73-10-32
Introduction and Overview
The City of Moab, moved by severe water shortages during the uranium boom of the early
1950's, acquired rights to underground water which exceed culinary demand at currently zoned
build out. The City of Moab can also meet additional culinary water demands from limited
commercial annexations into the City or higher -density rezoning for affordable housing which
might occur in the future. The City has a Public Facilities Analysis which defines, and Impact
Fees to provide financing for, modest water system pumping and storage improvements to meet
projected total service demands at build out. Projection of adequate drinking water supplies at
build out depends on assumptions used by Utah State University (USU) that peak consumption
will be 844.43 gallons per day per Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU). Only residences and
guest accommodation units were considered in the USU ERU totals. The USU study did not
project increases in other commercial or public facility water use.
The City of Moab is authorized to collect tax as a resort community by the State of Utah. Since
1996, non-residents in commercial facilities such as City motel and bed -and -breakfast rooms and
restaurants consume an equal or greater amount of culinary water than is consumed by City.
residents in housing units during the warm months of the year. The City of Moab confronts
gallons -per -day demand 5.4 times higher for residences, 6.5 times higher for commercial
facilities, and 15.1 times higher for public facilities like parks, schools, and cemeteries in the
peak water use summer months than in the off-season coldest months. This peak demand is
higher by 2,840,781 gallons per day, or 105% in 1998 than it was in 1993. This Water
Conservation Plan takes the form of a report on the culinary water situation the City is currently
experiencing, the trends in that experience in the past six years, and describes the measures the
City plans to take to prevent growth in outside water use by residences, commercial
establishments, and public facilities from overwhelming its otherwise adequate drinking water
source and distribution capacity.
The requirements of H.B. 418 are largely redundant to those of the Regional Drinking Water
Facilities Plan initiative currently underway in Utah to equip public drinking water suppliers to
meet the new requirements imposed by the 1996 Federal Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments.
Federal funds for the Regional Plan program are administered through the State of Utah
Department of Environmental Quality's Division of Water Resources. One prescribed element
in the Regional Plan for each water retailer is the water conservation measures taken and to be
Moab Water Conservation Plan, Page 1
taken by each retailer. This plan was therefore written by the Administrator of the Regional
Drinking Water Facilities Plan designated by the Grand County Council from materials that will
appear as a subset of the Regional Plan.
For the benefit of the Division of Water Resources staff who are obliged under H.B. 418 to
prepare a summary of Water Conservation Plans to present to the Utah Legislature in November
1999, the "Data and Analysis" information types listed in the Division's "Developing a Water
Management and Conservation Plan" guidelines are listed below the City of Moab Water
Conservation Plan subheadings to which they pertain. The entire list of 17 items appears at the
end of the Plan with commentary or indexing to the Plan, for the convenience of Division staff.
Historical Overview
The City of Moab was incorporated in 1902. The City is located at the north end of Spanish
Valley to the south of the Colorado River. Spanish Valley is a salt collapse graben, formed when
a dome of Paradox Formation salts bulged up, fracturing the overlying sedimentary formations.
The fractured overburden and part of the salt dome eroded away, largely from runoff from six
glacial periods in the La Sal Mountains through the Pack Creek drainage. Both sides of Spanish
Valley have the sedimentary rock formations from the Navajo down through the Hermosa tilting
upwards as they reach the valley walls. The formations on the east side of Spanish Valley are
also uplifted further towards the east by the laccolithic intrusions that formed the La Sal
Mountains. The Glen Canyon Group (Navajo, Kayenta and Wingate) of faulted sandstone
conducts water downward from the mountains which surfaces in springs at various points along
the Eastern Moab Fault complex on the eastern edge of Spanish Valley. The Utah DEQ Division
of Drinking Water classifies this water as Pristine Ground Water.
Shortly after its incorporation, the City of Moab acquired a half -interest in Skakel Spring, located
behind the Grand Old Ranch House about a mile south of the Colorado River. Skakel Spring
was used as the culinary source for the drinking water system installed in the original platted
town blocks to the south. Outlying farmhouses utilized wells for water. Contemporary with
formation of the City, the Moab Irrigation Company built a diversion dam on Mill Creek where
the creek enters the side of Spanish Valley, and currently provides irrigation water throughout
the City, and to unincorporated areas north and west of Moab City. The Moab Irrigation
Company water shares also provide the irrigation water to South Mesa and Wilson Mesa
agricultural lands. Many residential lots in the original Moab City town blocks still have
irrigation shares with which outside watering is done, the water being delivered down the gutters
of the town streets to inlets into yards. With the loss of cultivated farmland to residential
development, 308.79 of the 1,086.897 shares of the Moab Irrigation Company stock were
acquired in 1979 by the Grand County Conservancy District, which diverts Mill Creek upstream
into Ken's Lake for irrigation delivery above Moab in Spanish Valley. Since then, 66.5 shares of
Moab Irrigation Company stock have been leased or purchased and transferred by private owners
upstream to the Mill Creek Diversion for Ken's Lake. Five years ago the Moab Irrigation
Company put in pressurized irrigation pipeline to replace their original open ditch system within
Moab Water Conservation Plan, Page 2
Moab. This Plan describes measures to continue use of Moab Irrigation Company diverted
surface water for seasonal outside watering, rather than placing additional seasonal demand on
pristine culinary ground water resources for irrigation. It would be very expensive to rebuild the
Moab Irrigation Company pipeline system to act as a city-wide secondary irrigation system, but
use of this surface water for outside watering in areas served by the company's pipelines requires
no infrastructure investment to affect.
When the uranium boom occurred in SE Utah after World War II, Moab's population suddenly
jumped from about 1,500 to 8,000, resulting in severe shortage of culinary water. In 1955, the
City purchased the 1,600-acre Lloyd Sommerville Ranch, which contained Sommerville #1, #2,
#3, McConkie, and Birch Springs. The City sold most of the ranch lying west of the spring area
to George White, and located the Moab City Cemetery, Old City Park (which contains
McConkie and Birch Springs) and the Moab Golf Course (which contains the Sommerville #2
and #3 Springs) on part of the remainder. The City drilled six wells adjacent to the Sommerville
#2 and #3 springs. The springs (including Skakel) and the wells are the City of Moab water
supply source today. Water from the Sommerville Ranch springs can fill the City water storage
tanks (three, having 3,500,000 gallons capacity) by gravity flow. This flow and existing pumps
on city wells are currently capable of delivering 5,311,713 gallons per day (GPD). At this
writing, a contract for the purchase of the other half interest in Skakel Spring has been
unanimously approved by the Moab City Council. The City currently owns 2/3 of the spring.
However, only %2 of the spring is approved for culinary use.
Water Rights/Water Source Capacity
("Supply Sources" and "Water Quality")
Municipal Springs (water rights perfected)
cfs
Name of Spring
Water Right #
Priority Date
0.627
Skakel Spring (1/2)
05-2105
1880
0.21
McConkie Spring
05-2007
1903
0.2
Sommerville Spring #1
05-2008
6-12-1951
0.207
Sommerville Springs #2,3
05-2511
10-20-1958
0.089
Sommerville Springs #2,3
05-734
3-04-1969
1.333 cfs springs subtotal = 598.25 gallons per minute
Moab Water Conservation Plan, Page 3
Municipal Wells (p . rfected and proving)
cfs
Name of Well
Water Right #
Priority Date
3.0
Wells 4a, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11
05-169
9-15-1955
1.63
Same, perfected
05-206
10-07-1964
2.256
Same, perfected
05-716
10-24-1968
1.0
Same, being proved
05-101
1-27-1954
1.114
Same, being proved
05-183
2-21-1956
1.0
Same, being proved
05-336
4-14-1961
6.886 cfs perfected well subtotal = 3,090.44 gallons per minute
3.114 cfs pending well subtotal = 1,397.56 gallons per minute
11.333 cfs municipal total water rights as of 2/99 = 5,086.25 gpm, or 7,324,200 gallons per day.
If the other half interest in Skakel is transferred to culinary use, this will produce an additional
0.627 cfs or 281.4 gallons per minute source capacity of ground water. With 100% of Skakel,
City culinary water source capacity would be 7,729,416 gallons per day of water classified as
pristine under the Utah groundwater classification system.
Current Use and Per Capita Consumption
The City of Moab water billing system produces totals for the number of gallons billed for each
billing period by meter service category. Service categories until January 23, 1997, were
"residential," "single rental," "apartments," "commercial," "church -government," "city -owned"
(mainly parks and recreational facilities), "trailer courts," "well," "vacant," and "lawn
sprinkling." For the following tables from 1993 through 1996, the column labeled "Dwellings"
is a composite of residential, single rental, apartment, trailer court, and vacant totals, and consists
entirely of occupied or vacant residential facilities. The "Church and Government" column is a
composite of church -government, well, city owned, and lawn sprinkling categories, and
represents almost entirely outdoor water delivery; in some winter months, almost all water in this
category was unbilled discharge from the city springs. In the "Commerciar column, about 82%
of the units served were transient rooms in bed -and -breakfast, motel, or hotel facilities. A table
below shows the number of units by service category as of August, 1998, on the City of Moab
billing system, with metered gallons of water in that billing period.
Moab has a high proportion of residents occupying manufactured housing (31.9% of all city
residential electric connections), many of which are in 21 mobile home parks. There is no record
of how many manufactured dwellings there are receiving water in the mobile home parks in each
Moab Water Conservation Plan, Page 4
billing period. After January 23, 1997, mobile home parks are considered a "commercial"
connection by the billing system and water usage has to be estimated.
Because the Moab economy is dominated by the tourist services industry, "commercial" meters,
in which category motels and restaurants are found, consume a relatively large portion of
culinary water. The impact of visitors can be clearly seen in Grand County's solid waste
volume: although the county resident population whose solid waste is sent to the Klondike Flats
landfill is about 7,500, during tourist season the volume of solid waste sent to the landfill is the
amount one would expect from a resident population of 23,500. The amount of culinary water
consumed by non-residents is not three times the amount of culinary water consumed by
residents, but non-resident water consumption is critical to City of Moab water conservation and
budgeting. The peak tourist season corresponds to the peak outside watering season, and
accounts for a large portion of peak water demand on the City water system. In 1998,
commercial accounts used 41.6% of all water delivered, versus 41.7% delivered to residences.
The only feasible method for calculating an estimate of per capita water use for resident humans
in the City of Moab is to divide the estimated or inventoried number of residential units into the
average gallonage delivered to them per day during a billing period, and then dividing this
averaged -gallons -per -residence -per -day by the average household size (2.71) for Moab City as
derived from the October 1998, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) survey. There
are two points in time in the 1990s when the number of residential units in the City of Moab was
inventoried with some accuracy independent of the water billing system: in 1995 the Nellis and
Hofman Public Facilities Plan found 2,051 residential units existing in the City; and in October,
1998 the CDBG survey found 2,281 residential electric meter connections in Moab which were
not serving short-term rentals for tourists. The City water billing system was consolidated with
the sewer billing system on January 23, 1997, and changed again in 1998 to include billing for
refuse services. At intervals the number of meters and units served by those water meters was
inventoried; the unit inventory for August 1998, is shown in a table below.
City of Moab Average Daily Culinary Water 1993-1994 Billings by Meter Type
Month
Dwellings
Gallons per
Commercial
Church and
TOTAL
gallons/day
Capita*
gallons/day
Government
gallons/day
Jul 93
1.832,745
329.7
500,190
365,490
2 698,425
Aug 93
1,434,729
258.1
345,906
242,850
2,023,485
Sep 93
1,410,757
253.8
420,823
247,517
2,079,097
Oct 93
841,519
151.4
299,313
176,477
1,317,309
Nov 93
439,390
79.1
215,667
41,307
696,364
Moab Water Conservation Plan, Page 5
Dec 93
357,919
64.4
154,157
32,732
544,808
Jan 94
307,306
55.3
117,142
29,858
454,306
Feb 94
321,468
57.8
127,507
28,379
477,354
Mar 94
384,335
69.1
168,884
42,508
595,727
Apr 94
636,750
114.6
267,627
83,130
987,507
May 94
1,021,527
183.8
304,359
203,255
1,529,141
Jun 94
1,734,500
312.1
484,827
334,409
2,553,736
Avg.
896,506.7
159.74
*Gallons per day per capita was calculated by dividing total residential gallonage by 2,051
dwelling units, then by average family size of 2.71. 150 gallons per day per person is used by the
Utah Division of Water Resources guidelines as the benchmark above which water conservation
measures are clearly needed.
In the 1993-1994 billing period, the highest residential use month consumed 5.95 times as much
gallonage per day as the lowest residential use month. The highest commercial use month was
4.27 times higher than the lowest; the highest church and government use month was 12.88 times
the lowest. The City of Moab water system delivered 5.94 times more gallons per day in the
highest use month of July than in the lowest use month of January. In July 1993, at peak demand
the water system was operating at 36.8% of its source capacity and 50.8% of its pumping
capacity. In January, the City water system utilized only 6.2% of its source capacity and 8.6% of
its pumping capacity. In the peak 1993-94 use month of July, 67.9% of water was consumed
through residential meters, 18.5% through commercial meters, and 13.6% through church and
government meters.
City of Moab Average Daily Culinary Water 1995-1996 Billings by Meter Type
Month
Dwellings
gallons/day
Gallons per
Capita*
Commercial
gallons/day
Church and
Government
TOTAL
gallons/day
Aug 95
3,472,484
624.7
1,061,284
553,219
5,086,990
Sep 95
3,883,603
698.7
1,029,033
554,303
5,466,940
Oct 95
2,799,274
503.6
884,342
366,613
4,050,229
Nov 95
1,349,750
242.8
645,660
331,620
2,327,030
Moab Water Conservation Plan, Page 6
Month
Dwellings
gallons/day
Gallons per
Capita*
Commercial
gallons/day
Church and
Government
TOTAL
gallons/day
Dec 95
861,248
155
414,994
388,777
1,987,600
Jan 96
732,165
131.7
318,174
233,187
1,283,526
Feb 96
814,862
146.6
311,996
148,343
1,275,200
Mar 96
951,374
171.2
402,010
166,484
1,519,868
Apr 96
1,336,520
240.5
669,130
213,493
2,219,143
May 96
2,122,265
381.8
1,069,348
369,926
3,561,539
Jun 96
3,115,817
560.6
1,333,267
457,607
4,906,690
Ju1 96
3,274,113
589.1
1,527,245
543,552
5,344,910
Aug 96
3,574,500
643.1
1,357,600
823,477
5,755,577
Sep 96
3,340,603
601
1,213,213
781,967
5,335,783
Oct 96
2,351,232
423
1,259,868
385,452
3,996,552
Nov 96
1,877,213
337.7
1,269,230
306,583
3,453,027
Dec 96
1,143,871
205.8
734,677
243,348
2,121,896
96 Avg.
2,059,057
370.5
958,953
390,880
3,408,890
% Use
60.4%
28.1%
11.5%
100%
Ratio
Hi/Lo
4.88 (Aug)/
1 (Jan)
4.88/1
4.9 (Jul)/
1 (Feb)
5.55 (Aug)/
1 (Feb)
4.51 (Aug)/
1 (Feb)
*Gallons per day per capita was calculated by dividing total residential gallonage by 2,05
dwelling units, then by average family size of 2.71.
At peak in August, the City of Moab water billing system shows daily delivery of 8.4% more
gallons of water than the stated pumping capacity of the system. This is either due to a defect in
the billing system, or to representation in it of water delivered to the Moab Cemeteries and Moab
Golf Course which lie outside the city limits and consume water by a separate pumping and
distribution line system than that which goes through chlorination and is fed into the City post-
treatment storage tanks. This peak daily use represents 78.6% of City source water right volume.
At lowest use in February 1996, the system was operating at 24% of current pumping capacity.
Moab Water Conservation Plan, Page 7
City of Moab Average Daily Culinary Water 1997-1998 Billings by Me er Type
Month
Dwellings
gallons/day
Gallons per
Capita*
Commercial
gallons/day
Public
Facilities gpd
TOTAL
gallons/day
Jan 97
622,277
123 9
367,377
103,290
1,092,945
Feb 97
434,261
86 3
534,504
51,507
1,020,271
Mar 97
492,865
96 9
649,642
238,765
1,381,271
Apr 97
755,030
149 1
918,960
778,587
2,452,577
May 97
1,366,797
269 6
1,663,132
697,268
3,727,197
Jun 97
2,018,593
384 7
2,858,253
291,263
3,149,735
Jul 97
2,580,339
4918
3,760,858
480,032
6,821,229
Aug 97
2,382,155
454
3,431,919
561,058
6,375,132
Sep 97
1,694,573
323
2,467,267
437,267
4,599,107
Oct 97
1,057,116
201 5
1,386,342
253,394
2,696,852
Nov 97
938,680
178 9
919,487
152,743
2,010,910
Dec 97
837,326
159 6
691,358
96,300
1,624,984
97 Avg
1,270,879
242 2
1,644,807
346,771
3,262,457
% Use
39 0%
50 4%
10 6%
100%
Ratio
Hi/Lo
5 94 (Jul)/
1 (Feb)
10 24 (Jul)/
1 (Jan)
13 54 (May)/
1 (Feb
6 69 (Jul)/
1 (Feb)
Jan 98
769,252
124 4
558,184
679,032
1,395,339
Feb 98
965,596
156.2
562,166
699,929
1,798,518
Mar 98
1,501,019
242 8
1,254,135
69,452
2,824,606
Apr 98
791,040
128
775,117
85,453
1,651,610
May 98
891,623
144 2
883,523
161,842
1,936,987
Jun 98
1,061,233
171 7
958,147
279,300
2,298,680
Jul 98
1,487,806
240 7
1,607,577
1,015,458
4,110,810
Moab Water Conservation Plan, Page 8
Aug 98
1,387,890
224 5
2,189,690
1,961,626
5,539,206
Sep 98
946,683
153 1
930,867
214,473
2,092,023
Oct 98
820,058
132 7
791,835
228,735
1,840,629
Month
Dwellmgs
gallons/day
Gallons per
Capita*
Commercial
gallons/day
Public
Facilities gpd
TOTAL
gallons/day
Nov 98
582,440
94 2
406,137
142,630
1,131,207
Dec 98
308,129
49 8
341,968
236,510
886,606
98 Avg
960,596
155 4
958,639
382,473
2,301,708
% Use
41 7%
41 6%
16 6%
100%
Ratio
Hi/LO
4 83 (Jul)/
1 (Dec)
6 40 (Aug)/
1 (Dec)
28 24 (Aug)/
1 (Mar)
6 25 (Aug)/
1 (Dec)
*In 1998, 2,281 dwellings with 2 71 persons per unit were divided into daily use
8/24-9/23/98 Moab C ty Water Meter and Unit Inventory
Meter Classification
#
Meters
#
Units*
Gallons
Delivered
%
Use
Single-family Residences
1,265
1,265
29,887,000
54 1%
Multi -family Residences
82
322
4,704,100
8 5%
Trailer Courts
21
393
1,190,000
2 2%
SUBTOTAL RESIDENCES
1,368
1,980
35,781,100
64 8%
Motel/Hotel/Bed & Breakfast
57
1,289
6,863,000
12 4%
Restaurant/Bar
26
26
1,549,000
2 8%
Business
127
147
2,258,000
41%
Office Rentals
31
42
1,173,000
21%
Gas Stations
12
12
676,000
1 2%
Medical Offices
5
5
129,000
0 2%
Hospital
1
1
148,000
0 3%
Moab Water Conservation Plan, Page 9
*#
Meter Classification
#
Meters
#
Units*
Gallons
Delivered
%
Use
Schools
13
13
138,000
0 2%
Churches
11
11
92,000
0 2%
Government Offices
5
5
159,000
0 3%
Cemeteries
4
4
2,282,000
4 1 %
Unbilled Compound Meters
21
141
3,962,000
7 2%
TOTALS
3,048
3,676
55,210,100
Capital Improvements Plan
("Demand Projections" and "System Deficiencies")
In 1994, Grand County and the City of Moab collaborated in preparing a build out study as the
basis for a Capital Improvements Plan for the County and the City to provide for public facilities
demand at build out The Public Facilities Analysis, Grand County/City of Moab was delivered
by Lee Nellis and Bill Hofman on July 16, 1996. The County proceeded to have Nellis and
Hofman prepare a "Development Impact Fee Report," which was delivered April 3, 1997, and
subsequently adopted county development impact fees. The City had Utah State University's
Department of Economics prepare a "Moab City Impact Fee Analysis," which was delivered
January 30, 1998. The City adopted impact fees in 1998 based on this rational matnx.
USU's analysis concluded that, at build out, the City water system would need to both store and
pump 6,019,122 gallons per day at peak summer demand Current pumping capacity of
5,311,713 gallons per day is 707,409 GPD short, and storage of 3,500,000 gallons is 2,519,122
gallons short of needed capacity at build out The build out study predicts 3,992 additional
equivalent residential units (ERU) of culinary water demand at build -out in the City. Pump
expansion costs of $318,334, storage expansion costs of $881,693, and planning/analysis costs of
$19,000 (totaling $1,219,027) supports a water development impact fee of $305 per ERU.
The City replaced the main transmission pipeline from the golf course spring and well field to
the town storage tanks in 1993, at a cost of $1,501,285, oversizmg by 56% so the water
distnbuhon system can meet build out demand without further capital investment
The 1996 Public Facilities Analysis, Grand County/City of Moab addressed the water demand
from development of land already within the City of Moab, or contained in "islands" of
umncorporated county within City boundaries, to the density limit of current zoning Existing
city residential zoning would allow 4,298 additional umts to be added to the 2,051 existing in
Moab Water Conservation Plan, Page 10
1995 Annexation of unincorporated "islands" would add 288 additional ERUs to the 32 existing
in these islands in 1995. At build out, total residential units equal 6,669 housing a projected
population of 18,473. The USU study apparently assumes a peak per capita water consumption
of 304 8 gallons per day, because the total gallonage per day divided by 7,128 ERUs at build out
equals 844.43 gpd per ERU, and 18,473 divided by 6,669 housing units equals 2.77 average
persons per residential unit
City commercial zoning permits an expansion from approximately 1,521,000 square feet to
4,489,066 square feet, an increase of three times, given current lot coverage rates continue in new
construction Industrial zoning permits an increase from the current 97,400 square feet to
281,289 square feet, a 65% increase. In the commercial zones, for motels without restaurants the
City assumes each motel room equals 0.48 ERU; for motels with restaurants each room equals
0 69 ERU when development impact fees are levied
With a source capacity of 7,324,200 gallons per day in hand, the City enjoys a surplus of 21 7%
in water rights and source capacity over the 6,019,122 gallons per day build out peak demand
However, the Public Facilities Analysis did not assume any annexation of lands outside the
current City of Moab perimeter boundary. This is a sound assumption for Grand County
residential -zoned lands to the south of Moab in Spanish Valley These rural residential areas are
uphill from the Moab water system, already served by Spanish Valley Water and Sewer
Improvement District (now the Grand Water and Sewer Service Agency), and typically consist of
half acre or acre minimum lot sizes (larger minimums in most subdivisions by covenant) with
farm animals and horses allowed on lots one acre or greater in size The vast majority of these
county property owners are as resistant to annexation into Moab as the City is rationally resistant
to acquiring areas already receiving utility services which would bring no new tax revenues with
them if annexed
Commercial areas are a different matter The unincorporated strip of private land along US 191
from the Moab City line to the Colorado River, then across it to the Arches National Park
boundary, is zoned Highway Commercial by Grand County, and property owners there report
plans for major tourist facility development. The first unit of this development exists, and
construction of a second motel closer to the City boundary has been announced One
commercial property owner convinced the County to form the Arches Special Services District
for water and sewer services to the area, but was apparently misinformed about the financial and
regulatory feasibility of providing these services through a small district consisting entirely of
commercially -zoned properties, speculative plans to do so appear to be abandoned at this time.
The City of Moab collects no property tax, but funds municipal services primarily with the resort
community sales tax authorized by the Utah State Legislature Therefore, if the City annexes a
commercial property, the City can collect taxes on sales to offset the cost of the municipal
services the City provides. Cost-effective retailing of water and sewer services to the north US
191 corridor, and to the Arches National Park Visitors' Center and staff housing as the
Superintendent has requested, has to come from the City of Moab, dictated by geography
Acquisition of the other half interest in Skakel Spring, which is located in the center of the north
Moab Water Conservation Plan, Page II
US 191 unincorporated commercial corridor, permits the City to anticipate providing culinary
water to the commercial properties and Arches National Park without reducing its surplus source
capacity from the golf course area springs and wells. The cost of building water and sewer
infrastructure in the north US 191 corridor is not contained in the City's Public Facilities Plan,
but would be recovered from property owners as extraordinary costs upon annexation.
Moab City might modestly expand its municipal border southwards on US 191 in the Highway
Commercial zoning district. However, much expansion in this direction is unlikely because one
encounters the existing infrastructure of culinary water services from Spanish Valley Water and
Sewer Improvement District on developed parcels, and there is a gain in elevation relative to the
city water storage tanks as one goes south on US 191 from current Moab city limits.
Water Conservation Action Plans
The City of Moab has sufficient pristine groundwater source and distribution capacity at USU-
projected levels of per capita or ERU use to meet reasonable future demands from growth within
current city limits, from feasible annexation of commercial properties outside the city limits, and
from limited rezoning of city parcels to higher density/granting density bonuses for the public
purpose of facilitating the construction of affordable housing.
Ratio of Peak Summer Month Daily Drinking Water Use to Lowest Winter Month Use
City of Moab Drinking Water Billing System, by Meter Category
Billing Period
Dwellings
Commercial
Public Facility
TOTAL
7/1993-6/1994
5.95:1
4.27:1
12.88:1
5.94:1
1996
4.88:1
4.90:1
5.55:1
4.51:1
1997
5.94:1
10.24:1
13.54:1
6.69:1
1998
4.83:1
6.40:1
28.24:1
6.25:1
Average
5.40:1
6.50:1
15.10:1
5.85:1
However, as shown above, water use outside in peak summer months is many times winter use.
As growth continues, the City will not have sufficient drinking water supplies if outdoor water
use from the drinking water supply is not restrained. Three proposed measures serve this end:
1. Public education on wise water use: As can be seen from the above tables, from November
through April water consumption per capita by residents is typically below 150 gallons per day.
In the hottest month, water use per day per resident is 5.4 times the lowest, coldest month.
Commercial water use is 6.5 times higher per day in the hottest than the coldest month annually.
Residential + commercial use accounts for between 83% and 88% of annual metered drinking
water use in Moab City. Most of this difference is due to outdoor water use from April through
Moab Water Conservation Plan, Page 12
October, peaking in July or August. Planned actions: (1) Renew City public education through
the media and bill enclosures, reminding people to not water in the heat of the day; to water for a
long period of time at intervals to get deep penetration of water and encourage deep rooting of
landscaping, rather than for brief periods often; and to encourage low -water -demand plant
selection for landscaping (xeriscaping); (2) Sponsor public workshops on water -efficient
irrigation and landscaping as a public service; (3) Revise landscaping standards in residential
and commercial site development zoning regulations to require water -efficient landscaping
cultivar selection and irrigation systems; (4) Develop and place attractive placards in guest
facility bathrooms reminding visitors that they are visiting a beautiful desert in which water is
limited, and spelling out ways they can conserve water during their stay.
2. Study and adopt incremental water rates keyed to excessive, wasteful use: Both the Grand
Water and Sewer Service Agency and the City of Moab wish to derive standards for reasonable
household water use per day; average per capita gallons per day are 157 and 155 in 1998,
respectively, which suggests a joint study towards development of standards is feasible for small
lot residences. Grand Water seeks standards for outside water use based on lot size; most lots are
larger than 1/4 acre in Spanish Valley. Moab City seeks standards for water use by motels; the
number of transient rooms in the City (1,289) is 65% as great as residential units (1,980) on the
City water billing system in September 1998. If study of water use patterns can reliably
differentiate excessive, inefficient pattems of culinary water use from conventional, reasonably
efficient use pattems, both Spanish Valley and Moab City can develop a differential water rate
structure in their computerized billing systems which would place a stiff surcharge on water use
above that in the reasonably efficient range given the characteristics of the metered customer.
3. Explore ways to retain Moab Irrigation Company water shares for use for outside watering on
lands within current and future Moab City limits: Most of the 711.609 remaining Moab Irrigation
Company water shares which are delivered in Moab, north and west of Moab, and on Wilson and
South Mesas above Mill Creek to the east of Spanish Valley could be bought and transferred to
the Ken's Lake diversion on Mill Creek. Only the flow of the Left Fork of Mill Creek has to be
diverted at the Moab Irrigation Company diversion below the Power Dam, just to the east of the
Moab City limits. Inside the City limits and in the north US 191 corridor, a number of orchards,
hay fields, pastures and gardens are currently irrigated with these shares. The author believes
recharge from this irrigation is largely responsible for inflow to the Matheson Wetlands Preserve
operated by the Nature Conservancy at the north end of Spanish Valley. When some of these
parcels have been converted to residential or commercial development in recent years, the
predominant pattern has been to cluster building, leaving large amounts of open space. This type
of Planned Unit Development is encouraged by both City and County Comprehensive General
Plans which seek to preserve open space and, in the county, agriculture and a rural way of life. If
this open space is not irrigated, it becomes a weedy desert. If this open space is landscaped as
City site development standards require and irrigated with city culinary water, replacing Moab
Irrigation Company surface -diverted water, it would greatly expand demand for peak water over
that projected by the Public Facilities Plan and the USU Department of Economics impact fee
study. The City needs to explore and define ways in which parcels that are developed with large
open spaces can obtain and/or retain Moab Irrigation Company irrigation water shares for outside
Moab Water Conservation Plan, Page 13
landscaping irrigation Acquisition of water shares by the Nature Conservancy to maintain
recharge of the Matheson Preserve should be pursued
Division of Water Resources Water Management and Conservation Plan
Data and Analysis Items in Guidelines
I Current Use is fully presented in the Current Use section above - data from 1993 through
1998
2 Per Capita Consumption is calculated in the current use tables above For the most recent
complete year of 1998, average per capita consumption is 155 4 gallons per resident per day
The conservation plan problem which the City of Moab must solve is reducing the peak demand
per residence (41.7% of system water use) and per commercial connection (41 6% of system
water use), which demand is 5 4 times higher for residences and 6 5 times higher for commercial
customers in the hot peak months of July and August than in the lowest demand months of
January and February each year
3. Demand Projections are contained in the build out study and Public Facilities Plan The
build out study accounts for all development of all pnvate land available within the City of
Moab, and therefore has a projective scope greater than 20 years
4 Supply Sources are detailed in the Histoncal Overview and Water Rights/Water Source
Capacity sections, pages 2-4, above
5 System Deficiencies are detailed in the Public Facilities Plan, which is summarized in the
Capital Improvements Plan section above
6 Intersystem Agreements There are none, nor does anyone consider them feasible or
constructive The Grand Water and Sewer Service Agency which serves Spanish Valley is uphill
and to the south of the City, and does not have sufficient water sources in hand to meet build out
demand The Agency is currently undertaking a $4 7 million project to improve storage and
distribution to resolve current system deficiencies, and collects impact fees towards expanding
the system to meet growth demands in the future Geography and gravity dictates that the
Agency could supply the City with culinary water, but the Agency doesn't have the water and the
City doesn't need it The Grand Water Service Agency and City of Moab collaborate on matters
affecting both such as source protection plans, financing of expansion of the sewage treatment
plant, and regional dunking water facility planning.
7 Water Quality is excellent All drinking water supply for the City of Moab is Pristine
Ground Water from wells and springs in a sandstone aquifer The City of Moab and the Grand
Water and Sewer Service Agency have jointly hired the Utah Geological Survey to develop a
Source Protection Plan Grand County has enacted a "Watershed Protection Zone" which can be
Moab Water Conservation Plan, Page 14
applied to lands within the County which are identified by UGS as requiring protective measures
to prevent contamination of the aquifer.
8. The Treatment System: consists of minimal chlorination. USGS water sampling in 1997
found the drinking water of the City of Moab, before treatment, equals the quality of bottled
drinking water from springs sold in stores.
9. The Distribution System: is described in the Capital Improvements Plan section above. The
system is in excellent condition and is sized to meet current and projected demand. Some
expansion of storage and pumping capacity will be needed to meet build out demand; funds
towards these improvements are collected through Development Impact Fees.
10. Reuse Potential: is nil because the City of Moab sewage treatment plant is located next to the
Colorado River on the edge of the Matheson Wetlands Preserve at the far, low, north end of
Spanish Valley.
11. Environmental Aspects: are absent, since the City of Moab will not develop new water
supply sources, does not have a water treatment facility and will presumably never have one, and
will not expand the distribution system except for additional storage tank capacity at existing
sites. The one environmental issue identified in this Plan is that of preserving groundwater flow
into the Matheson Wetlands Preserve. This may largely depend on keeping Moab Irrigation
Company irrigation water delivered to adjacent, upgradient lands.
12. Institutional and Political Factors: are not present, in the sense of the state's guidelines. The
only factor relevant to the City of Moab Water Conservation Plan is the ability of the City to
work with the Moab Irrigation Company and its shareholders to keep surface -diverted irrigation
water flowing to areas within the City, rather than being moved away from these lands for
application elsewhere.
13. Financial Resources: are provided for. Impact fees provide funds for modest future system
improvements. Past improvements, except for the bonding for the 1993 transmission line
upgrade, are paid for. Connection fees and user fees fully support the costs of operating the
system and retiring the modest bonded debt.
14. Fiscal Structure: issues are covered in #13. The rate structure for water billing by Moab City
is: Residential - $5.54 minimum charge, including the first 2,000 gallons of use; $0.44 per
additional thousand gallons used is charged to 10,000 gallons; and $0.60 per thousand is charged
over 10,000 gallons used by a residence during a billing period (meters are read as of the 23rd of
each month). Commercial - $9.45 minimum charge, includes the first 2,000 gallons of use;
$2.10 is charged per thousand from 3,000 to 5,000 gallons; $0.54 per thousand from 6,000-
10,000 gallons; $0.62/thousand from 11,000 to 50,000 gallons; and $0.74/thousand for amounts
over 50,000 gallons used per billing period. Rates for residences and commercial establishments
served outside the City limits are twice these rates.
Moab Water Conservation Plan, Page 15
15 Institutâ–ºonal Infrastructure The City of Moab is governed by a 5-member elected City
Council. The Council employs a City Manager, Donna Metzler, who supervises the Public
Works Director, Brent Williams Mr. Williams is responsible for the operation of the city water
system in compliance with federal and state standards The office of City Treasurer operates the
user billing system for water, sewer and refuse services
16. Current or Existing Water Conservation Programs: exist only in the form of the emergency
plan The sandstone aquifer recharge plus storage has always been greater than withdrawals, so
no "drought" problem has been encountered since 1902 In event of emergency, such as the
main well pump failure occurring in 1998 at the Moab Golf Course, citizens are asked through
the media to discontinue all outside watering until adequate water flow is restored City Public
Works staff go in the field to identify customers who haven't gotten the message. If citizens
refuse to stop outside watering when asked, their water meter is turned off and locked Gravity
flow from the Sommerville Springs to the City storage tanks is sufficient to keep the storage
tanks full and meet inside culinary water needs Under emergency conditions, the City's concern
is to maintain the storage tanks full so that water is available for fire fighting if needed during the
supply shortage.
17 Public Relations• will be primarily handled through an active public education program,
focused on limiting outside water use from the culinary water system Thrift and good
stewardship of the environment are values generally held by all groups in Moab. Providing
people with assistance in water -conserving practices, and providing financial penalties for clearly
wasteful and excessive practices, should enjoy general public acceptance as prudent government
management A forthright, continuing public dialogue between the City and its customers is
critical to public acceptance and support.
Moab Water Conservation Plan, Page 16