A new analysis of the biggest water users in Salt Lake City shows that municipalities and the University of Utah are the biggest users of water in the city. The reason these entities waste so much water is because they are not paying the full price of their water use.
Utah’s abnormally high water use occurs because we have America’s cheapest water rates. These cheap rates occur because Utah water suppliers collect property taxes from homes and businesses to lower the price of water.
“The rest of the nation prices water at its full cost to encourage conservation. It’s time for Utah to embrace the free market to save water and reduce government waste” said Frankel.
Many of Utah’s biggest water users are large institutions which pay no property taxes, like schools, municipal golf courses and universities.
“It’s ironic that fiscally conservative Utah embraces collecting property taxes to encourage water waste by government and exempt users” said Zach Frankel, Executive Director of the Utah Rivers Council. “We could save water and taxes by eliminating this archaic practice.”
“Property taxes make up a large percentage of Utahns’ water payments, which discourages conservation particularly by large government land owners which pay no taxes” said Zach Frankel, Executive Director of the Utah Rivers Council.
Utah water conservancy districts made more money collecting property taxes than by selling water, according to the audited financial statements of all 22 Utah water conservancy districts with publicly available financial statements for the 2013 tax year.
The top 20 water users in Salt Lake City are listed on the next page. The total water use by governments and tax-exempt users of top 20 users is 44%.
Salt Lake City Top 20 Water Users
|
|
|
|
Total |
||
|
|
|
|
Hundred Cubic Feet |
Acre-Feet |
Gallons |
|
1. |
Tesoro |
|
449,810 |
1,033 |
336,457,880 |
|
2. |
Chevron |
|
338,787 |
778 |
253,412,676 |
|
3. |
U of U |
|
117,846 |
271 |
88,148,808 |
|
4. |
Tesoro |
|
150,125 |
345 |
112,293,500 |
|
5. |
U of U |
|
178,103 |
409 |
133,221,044 |
|
6. |
Mt. Dell Golf Course |
|
130,307 |
299 |
97,469,636 |
|
7. |
Airport Golf Course |
|
117,846 |
271 |
88,148,808 |
|
8. |
Tesoro |
|
151,980 |
349 |
113,681,040 |
|
9. |
Utah Power |
|
151,180 |
347 |
113,082,640 |
|
10. |
Glendale Golf Course |
|
112,895 |
259 |
84,445,460 |
|
11. |
Dept of Veterans Affairs |
125,459 |
288 |
93,843,332 |
|
|
12. |
U of U |
|
115,134 |
264 |
86,120,232 |
|
13. |
Bonneville Golf Course |
|
84,669 |
194 |
63,332,412 |
|
14. |
Meadow Gold Dairies |
|
87,327 |
200 |
65,320,596 |
|
15. |
Grand America Hotel |
|
101,096 |
232 |
75,619,808 |
|
16. |
U of U |
|
84,058 |
193 |
62,875,384 |
|
17. |
U of U |
|
65,723 |
151 |
49,160,804 |
|
18. |
U of U |
|
82,400 |
189 |
61,635,200 |
|
19. |
Pinnacle Highlands |
|
51,391 |
118 |
38,440,468 |
|
20. |
7 Peaks Water Park |
|
46,452 |
107 |
34,746,096 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
2,742,588 |
6,296 |
2,051,455,824 |
Total water use of top 20 users by governments and tax-exempt users: 44%
Utah Statewide Water Conservancy District Revenue Sources
|
Water District |
Document |
Water Sales Revenue |
Property Tax Revenues |
Impact Fee Revenue |
|
Bear River Water Conservancy District |
2013 Financial Statements |
$311,846 |
$729,629 |
$11,100 |
|
Carbon Water Conservancy District |
2013 Financial Statements |
$72,008 |
$291,123 |
– |
|
Central Iron County Water Conservancy District |
2012 Financial Statements |
$306,320 |
$1,736,632 |
$63,100 |
|
Central Utah Water Conservancy District |
2013 Financial Statements |
$17,097,746 |
$50,602,778 |
$824,193 |
|
Charleston Water Conservancy District |
2012 Financial Statements |
$104,628 |
$2,777 |
$5,019 |
|
Duchesne County Water Conservancy District |
2013 Financial Report |
$113,277 |
$600,117 |
$6,284 |
|
East Juab County Water Conservancy District |
2012 Financial Statements |
– |
$128,513 |
– |
|
Emery Water Conservancy District |
2013 Financial Statements |
$801,154 |
$813,339 |
$18,700 |
|
Grand County Water Conservancy District |
General Funds 2013 |
– |
$209,966 |
– |
|
Indian Ridge Water Conservancy District |
Enterprise Funds 2013 |
$14,296 |
– |
– |
|
Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District |
2013 Financial Statements |
$42,081,690 |
$13,622,517 |
$- |
|
Kane County Water Conservancy District |
2013 Financial Statements |
$558,676 |
$801,096 |
$2,072,798 |
|
North Utah County Water Conservancy District |
2012 Financial Statements |
– |
$22,695 |
– |
|
Roy Water Conservancy District |
2013 Financial Statements |
– |
$168,593 |
– |
|
Rush Valley Water Conservancy District |
2012 Financial Statements |
– |
$27,802 |
– |
|
San Juan Water Conservancy District |
2013 Financial Statements |
$87,807 |
$109,136 |
– |
|
Sanpete County Water Conservancy District |
2012 Financial Statements |
– |
$339,305 |
– |
|
Uintah Water Conservancy District |
2013 Financial Statements |
$1,258,870 |
$2,259,805 |
$715,158 |
|
Upper Sevier Water Convervancy District |
General Funds 2013 |
– |
$23,486 |
– |
|
Washington County Water Conservancy District |
2013 Financial Statements |
$7,013,377 |
$9,938,660 |
$10,135,798 |
|
Wayne County Water Conservancy District |
2013 Financial Statements |
– |
$8,350 |
– |
|
Weber Basin Water Conservancy District |
2013 Financial Statements |
$18,748,506 |
$8,424,508 |
$583,749 |
For more information call 801-699-1856
