Important Legislation for 2019

The future of Utah’s iconic rivers often hangs in the balance during the annual Legislative Session.  The URC is working with your legislators to save water and save money this session. Here’s how to get involved in this critical process and what you need to know about a couple of key water bills.

 Feb. 7th - 10:00am to 12:00pm - State Office Building Room B110
 
Feb. 13th - 10:00am to 12:00pm - East Senate Building Copper Room
 
Mar. 11th - 12:30pm to 2:30pm - State Office Building Room B110
 
Contact Claire Andrues if you have any questions by calling (801) 486-4776 or emailingClaire@utahrivers.org.

HB 143 will Save Water & Money

Utah has some of the highest per-person municipal water use in the U.S., which is used by special interests to justify billions in new spending for destructive river diversions.  A new bill at the Utah Legislature could save billions of gallons of water and hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. HB 143 would require water suppliers to study what it would take to reduce their municipal water use to 175 gallons per person per day. The bill is sponsored by Representative Suzanne Harrison, and amends a law written by the Utah Rivers Council in 1998.

How much water we consume is used to predict water-related government spending needed in the future. That’s why lowering water demand helps defer or eliminate the need for new infrastructure spending.  It also helps keep more water in Utah’s rivers.  Tell your legislators to Vote YES on HB 143!

Also, read what the Salt Lake Tribune said about HB 143.

SB 17 doesn’t Protect Water Quality

You probably remember Rep. Mike Noel’s bad bill from the 2018 session attacking a 100+ year-old law that allows municipalities to regulate land use in their watersheds to protect water quality.  A new compromise bill, SB 17 – Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Amendments, is back for the 2019 session.  While SB 17 largely maintains the status quo, we see no reason to amend a law that worked well to protect water quality for over a century.  Tell your legislators to Vote NO on SB 17.