North Ogden OKs new limits on outdoor water use and fines

NORTH OGDEN — With much of the state already in extreme drought, North Ogden officials are taking steps aimed at conserving water given the possibility of worsening conditions as spring becomes summer.

The North Ogden City Council has approved an ordinance update restricting use of culinary water on lawns in the event the governor issues a drought declaration, subjecting repeat violators to $500 fines. The North Ogden Public Works Department provides culinary water in the city but not secondary water, the untreated water typically used on lawns and also increasing focus of conservation efforts.

"Our thinking is that during a drought declaration, secondary water supplies may be unavailable or significantly limited. In that case, the use of culinary water outdoors would need to be allowed in limited circumstances, but with restrictions to ensure it is used responsibly," David Espinoza, North Ogden's public works director, said Tuesday. The ordinance update formalizes policies that had been in place.

Per the ordinance change, culinary water may not be used at all on outdoor landscaping in the absence of a drought declaration, when secondary water supplies would presumably be tapped. In the event of a drought declaration, issued by Cox last year and in 2022, the only landscaping that culinary water could be used on would be bushes, trees, vegetable gardens and watering animals, according to the ordinance change.

"Those types of uses require much more limited water than irrigating turf or flood watering. The ordinance is designed to allow essential outdoor watering while restricting high-volume uses that place a greater demand on the culinary water system," Espinoza said.

Culinary water may not be used to water grass, whether a drought declaration is decreed or not.

He said metering technology allows officials to identify potential misuse of drinking water, and those violating the new ordinance would first face warnings and, for repeat offenses, $500 fines. The North Ogden City Council approved the change on April 14.

The change in North Ogden comes as secondary-water providers also brace for the possibility of dry conditions this summer and scarce water supplies. Nearly 60% of Utah was in an extreme drought as of April 16, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, coming in the wake of record-low snowpack around the state through April 1.

Pineview Water Systems has advised its customers that they could face fines of up to $500 if they overuse secondary water through the summer. The entity supplies secondary water in North Ogden and elsewhere along the Wasatch Front between Washington Terrace in Weber County and Brigham City in Box Elder County through two conservation districts.

The possibility for the fine isn't necessarily new, but as efforts move forward to meter use of secondary water, it becomes more feasible to detect those excessively using water. Connections for around 17,000 of Pineview's 35,000 secondary water users are metered, according to Jeff Humphrey, the Pineview general manager, and Pineview officials will be monitoring use.

Specific secondary water allocations are based on property size, and with the meters, "we're able to see when they reach that allocation," Humphrey said. "There are people that will use more than their allocation. So essentially, they are using their neighbor's water."

Those using more water than they're allocated will potentially face secondary water shut-offs and fines of $500, Humphrey said, though Pineview officials will work with customers. "We need to conserve water. Secondary water is not an unlimited source, and so (customers) need to use within their means and only use the waters allocated to their property," Humphrey said.

Pineview customers with meters can get more information on how to monitor their water use by emailing meters@pineviewwater.com.

"We're doing all we can to get the word out there for people to conserve throughout the summer. Come July and August, it could be very tight," Humphrey said.

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