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John Hollenhorst reporting Suppose someone forced you into a permanent limit on how green your property could be, and then made you pay handsomely for the privilege. That's exactly what's happening in the St. George area, and a young married couple is not happy about it.
There are two ways of looking at the water impact fees in Washington County, and we heard them both. It's either a brilliant way to conserve water, or it's a diabolical scheme to finance a controversial project.
Kristy and Chet Wall are building their dream home just outside St. George. To get their building permit, they had to pay nearly $5,000 to the water district. "It seems very excessive to me," Chet said.
And there's a big catch. Kristy explained, "I cannot greenscape more than 5,000 square feet of my yard."
They have 10 times that much property; just more than an acre. They never intended to green up much more than the 5,000. But they're angry. "I don't like someone telling me what to do," Kristy said.
The water district argues it helps conserve water in a desert. Ron Thompson, with the Washington County Water Conservancy District, said, "I know people think their $4,000 or $5,000 impact fee is expensive. But look around the West. It's pretty reasonable."
The district does offer a more expensive package: $20,000 for a permanent greenery limit of 20,000 square feet. "Those that want more water, they can get it," Thompson said. "But they have to pay for it. We don't feel like those who are conserving ought to foot the bill for those who don't."
Chet said, "I think they're just going about it the wrong way. Instead of punishing people, I think they should set up some type of incentive program for people to conserve water."
Water conservation activist Paul Van Dam is siding with the Walls, not the water district. "The final test ought to be, how much water are you using? That's what you ought to be charged for, not that you want to build a house," he said.
The Walls are especially perturbed that they were forced to sign an agreement that limits greenery forever, even if someone else buys the property. "I think everyone should have that right to do whatever they want with their property," Kristy said.
The Walls believe it's an enforcement nightmare, deciding which trees and plants are greenscape. "Well they count in between the trunks and the branches. So they... I don't know! I'm confused on how they calculate it. They just said they'd count my tomato plants," Kristy said.
Critics suspect the water district is trying to finance the controversial pipeline from Lake Powell by charging high fees on new construction. The district denies it. "We're certainly not paying for Lake Powell. But water costs money. When you build water treatment plants, and you treat for what we treat for today in our system, there's a cost," Thompson said.
There's been political resistance to the impact fees in some parts of Washington County. And there's talk of lawsuits.
It all proves that in one of the nation's fastest growing counties, it's all about water, and whether that puts a limit on growth or on what homeowners are allowed to do.
E-mail: hollenhorst@ksl.com
