ST. GEORGE — A new community development project in the southern end of St. George that is anticipated to eventually accommodate more than 30,000 residents has some asking, ‘What about the water?’

During a public meeting Thursday, the St. George City Council heard the development group behind the master plan for the 3,400-acre community explain how it will implement water conservation-minded design.

The “Desert Color” community is on the east side of Interstate 15 below Exit 2 stretching to the Arizona border. Planned features include a commercial town center surrounded by resorts, residential neighborhoods and parks.

When conceptual plans for the development were unveiled in January, an artist’s rendition of the community showed houses surrounded by a large lagoon. A St. George News report about the unveiling had many readers asking how a large body of water like the one depicted could be sustainable in a desert environment.

“When you take a look at a picture like this, as we had shared with the public as our concept and our idea, it might scare some people to begin with, as to, ‘Wait a minute, you’re going to take all my water? What is Desert Color doing, don’t they know we live in a desert,’” Brooke Cole, the Desert Color partnership representative, said.

The planned lagoon is actually a better use of land than the alternative of more homes or a golf course when it comes to water use, Cole said.

“We looked at land use and water and natural resources and said ‘How do we utilize those with the highest potential possible with having minimal impact?’”

To read the full story, visit St. George News.

KSL's Southern Utah News Section

Looking for more news from the southern part of the state? Visit our southern Utah section for more stories, events and features.

Related topics