Voting to Protect Your Home and Access to Water

Most of us take it for granted that when we turn on the tap water will come out. For some residents in Utah, taking water for granted could be a big mistake. Amy Joi O'Donoghue explains, “A constitutional amendment on November’s ballot may appear to be a sleeper issue, but proponents pushing its passage say a no vote could put millions — possibly billions — in property value at risk in Salt Lake County and across the state. Does that have your attention? In Utah, the second most arid state in the nation, it all boils down to water: Who has it as a permanent source attached to the property they own, or who has a home or business that unknowingly is receiving water through a contract subject to cancellation within as little as 30 days notice.”[1]

O'Donoghue explains, “Multiple cities provide water to users outside their service boundaries under contracts that be canceled with little notice and for no reason. This ‘surplus’ water has been a tool used in development, but also could be brandished as leverage due to the tenuous nature of the contract.” To ensure homeowners don’t lose access to water, a bill passed by the 2019 legislature (HB31), “requires cities to create a designated water service area and for residents who live outside their boundaries, notice that the water supply cannot be terminated. It also gives those residents a voice in the adjustment of water rates, which proponents of the change said is critical as well.”
However, O'Donoghue notes, “The new law is toothless without passage of the constitutional amendment.” The bill specifically states, “This bill takes effect on January 1, 2021, if the amendment to the Utah Constitution proposed by H.J.R. 1, Proposal to Amend Utah Constitution - Municipal Water Resources, 2019 General Session, passes the Legislature and is approved by a majority of those voting on it at the next regular general election.”
The amendment, known on this year’s ballot as Amendment D, deals with municipal water rights in Utah. Specifically, “A ‘yes’ vote supports the constitutional amendment to specify the circumstances under which a municipality may commit water resources or supply water outside its boundary or exchange water resources and revise provisions surrounding municipal water rights.”[2]
As all Utahns are aware, it’s difficult to distinguish one community from another along the Wasatch Front and it makes little sense to draw lines when it comes to having access to much-needed water. access to water is essential to life, let alone critical to maintaining property values. Whether you are a homeowner or a renter, I encourage you to vote “yes” on Amendment D this coming election.
Footnotes:
[1] Amy Joi O'Donoghue, “Water, a Utah constitutional amendment and how it affects your home,” Deseret News, 7 September 2020.
[2] “Utah Constitutional Amendment D, Municipal Water Resources Amendment (2020),” Ballotpedia.