The Times-Independent

City elections: One set of water studies, many conflicting conclusions

Some candidates see bleak water future; others disagree


Jason Taylor

How much risk do you believe Moab faces of overdrawing its aquifer in the next 10 years? Why?

Looking at current and projected growth rates for the next 10 years, studies show that Moab will likely not overdraw the aquifer in that time.

Moab has made some great strides in reducing water use, actually using less than five years ago. We need to continue to watch our water usage, especially with the expansion of Spanish Valley and San Juan County.

This outlook could also change if drought conditions continue here in the Southwest. While the next 10 years look sustainable, we should also be planning for the next 50 years of water use.

To meet the city’s water conservation goals, what policies will you implement to reduce per capita water usage in Moab? Or, would you set less ambitious goals?

To meet the city’s conservation goals, I would really like to see a coalition formed between the City of Moab, Grand County, and San Juan County where all water users are working together to create water conservation policies.

I would like to see ways to encourage new construction to install gray water retention systems for landscape watering.

I would also work toward a policy of prohibiting using water from the aquifer for projects such as construction or dust control and instead creating a pump station where we can draw from the water rights Moab City has on the Colorado River for these purposes.

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