Imagine a drought in Utah like the one that lasted 288 weeks 2001-2006. Imagine having your water turned off with a 30-day notice. Imagine your home value plummeting because you have no permanent water rights.
Hard to believe? It’s all true.
If you are a resident in Millcreek, Holladay or Cottonwood Heights, you likely get your water from Salt Lake City through a “surplus water contract.” This means they choose to sell water in a different city, if there is a “surplus.”
Like me, you may be cringing now. “Surplus” and “water” are two words that really don’t go together in arid Utah.
The history is complicated, mostly because of the growth along the Wasatch Front. Salt Lake City maintains the water infrastructure and holds most of the water for the east bench. As a resident of Holladay, I am thankful for this water. In the end, however, if I have a water “issue,” I can’t get very far with the Holladay mayor about quality or cost. I would need to take it up with “big brother.”
HB31, passed by the State Legislature, and Constitutional Amendment D, basically fixes that. If the amendment passes, the bill takes effect, and your water rights become permanent. Your water may not be shut off. You also have a say in future water rate changes.
Seems like a “no brainer.” But in an era when people often vote “no” for things they don’t understand, a failed amendment could put billions of property value at risk in Salt Lake County and across the state.
Vote yes for Constitutional Amendment D on Nov. 3.
Brian Zehnder
Holladay