Salt Lake City Council approves water rights changes, driven by drought concerns and opposition to a proposed ICE detention facility. The changes aim to conserve water, particularly impacting non-residential areas. Mayor Erin Mendenhall has voiced concerns about the facility's potential water usage.
by Anneka Johns & Derick Fox, KUTVConcerns have grown over who will cover the cost of utilities and services at a warehouse the federal government plans to convert into an ICE detention facility, after Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall voiced opposition.
The Salt Lake City Council voted on Tuesday night to change ordinances limiting water rights for new developments. The council unanimously adopted changes to Title 17 and Title 21A of the Salt Lake City Codes - both of which impact the daily water use for non-residential areas. City councilmembers said the change would help safeguard Salt Lake's water supply after a historically warm winter and as reduced snowpack intensifies the need to protect the city's long-term future. These changes come after Mayor Erin Mendenhall has made several comments against a proposed ICE detention facility near 6000 West and 300 South. The mayor has said the city cannot support the utilities needed to run and operate such a facility.Utah Gov. Spencer Cox wants to 'get things right' with proposed ICE detention facilityIn a statement ahead of Tuesday's council meeting, Mendenhall said, "New large water users are particularly problematic due to Salt Lake City's worsening drought conditions and water conservation needs, which we are already taking action to address." "Put simply, a potential high-occupancy facility interferes with those needs," she added. "While we lack direct information from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, a 7,500-person detention facility on our City's west side would likely use 1-2 million gallons of water per day. By comparison, the warehouse recently purchased previously used about 5,600 gallons daily." Mendenhall said her primary responsibility as mayor is to ensure Salt Lake residents have access to clean water, reliable utilities, and safe infrastructure. The amendments made affect only new commercial, industrial and institutional developments - such as the proposed ICE detention facility. But it also carves out some exceptions, such as agricultural areas, schools, places of worship, hospitals, and government-owned or operated buildings. The changes also allow for the city to deny expansion or further service if a non-residential property's water usage goes above 200,000 gallons per day.A St. George neighborhood experienced an infestation of hundreds of roof rats. Exterminators said the population would increase exponentially across St. GeorgeA former 2News reporter shared her story about how she tragically lost her son. She's been working to ensure no parent has to go through the same thing.Ginna RFormer Utah Gov. Gary Herbert addressed growing concerns over a planned ICE detention facility in Salt Lake City, pointing to frustration over how the project cA former Utah nurse was convicted of convincing her friend she had terminal cancer and then using insulin to kill her in an attempt to collect a $1.5 million li6
Salt Lake City Water Rights ICE Detention Facility Drought Utilities
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Salt Lake Council approves water rights changes, impacting proposed ICE detention facilityThe Salt Lake City Council voted on Tuesday night to change ordainances limiting water rights for new developments.
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