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The city is trying to get residents and businesses to use less water this summer. They are focusing on education and hope to avoid mandatory restrictions.
At a glance
Stable — consistent level of discussion. 8 mentions in the last 30 days, 11 the 60 before, 3 the 90 before that.
Minimal, primarily focused on enforcement and education.
All city residents who rely on the culinary water system.
Residents without automatic sprinkler timers who may find the restricted hours inconvenient.
After years of analysis and stalled negotiations, the federal government last month finally laid out its proposal for managing the Colorado River’s biggest reservoirs for the next decade. The Bureau of Reclamation still needs to release its final dec...
The federal government lowers the amount of water it may annually release from Lake Powell, sets a target for water conservation in Utah and other Upper Basin states, and arranges to store up to 3 million acre-feet of conserved water in Powell for fu...
Moab will restrict above-ground sprinkler watering to 10 a.m.–6 p.m. starting Aug. 10 — and the council split 3-2 over a $1.2 million rec center contract awarded as a change order rather than a new competitive bid.
The city is implementing new rules to save water during the ongoing drought. Residents will be restricted from using overhead sprinklers during the hottest parts of the day.
The city is facing ongoing drought conditions. To save water, the Council passed a new rule limiting overhead sprinkler use to nighttime and early morning hours.
Moab City Council meets July 28 to consider enacting mandatory drought restrictions — no sprinklers 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. — as 2026 becomes the second-driest year on record. Also on the agenda: a budget amendment public hearing and a $1.2 million change o...
Grand County commissioners adopted a long-range water plan July 21 that calls for planning future development around water availability and reducing demand through conservation. The element estimates how growth could increase water demand and how con...
Moab City Council meets July 28 to consider enacting mandatory drought restrictions — no sprinklers 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. — as 2026 becomes the second-driest year on record. Also on the agenda: a budget amendment public hearing and a $1.2 million change o...
Grand County's water element talks about the future — but geologist John Gould warns the plan was drafted without an accounting of how much water the aquifer actually holds, so every gallon residents save might just clear room for the next hotel.
Mary O'Brien argues Grand County's draft Water Use & Preservation Element rests on magical thinking — assuming unchanged water supply through 2060 and Colorado River diversions that won't exist — ahead of the County Commission's July 7 hearing.
You Asked, We Answered — Readers wanted to see the aquifer behind Grand County's water planning. The U.S. Geological Survey mapped it in 2019 — here's where Moab's water sits, where it comes from, and why it's so hard to know how much there is.
The county's new water plan conserves demand but won't track how much water the valley pulls from its sole-source aquifer — the omission Planning Commissioner Bob O'Brien dissented over.
The city is facing drought conditions and must meet state-mandated water reduction goals. The council is considering new rules for watering times and hotel laundry to save water.
The city is facing extreme drought conditions and is working to reduce water usage through education, potential tiered billing, and mandatory restrictions.
The Grand County Planning Commission recommended adoption of a new county water-planning element after a public hearing in which nearly every speaker urged changes.
A Grand County planning commissioner on the water use and preservation plan headed to a public hearing: what the county is asking residents to give up, and who benefits from the water freed up.
Diné advocate Nicole Horseherder on growing up herding sheep on Black Mesa — and the moment she realized the monsoons, and the water, were changing.
Grand County's first water-use plan has divided its Planning Commission: should it address protecting the aquifer behind Moab's drinking water, or stay a narrow accounting of how new development drives up demand?
The Planning Commission spent most of the meeting in a contentious working session on the water-use element of the general plan, asked the county attorney to brief them on open-meetings law after a debate about reply-all email chains, and tabled a di...
The city is working with the water district to better manage the cemetery well, which is important for maintaining our local green spaces.
The city is working on securing federal and state funding for a new water tank and is exploring ways to make water bills easier for residents to understand to encourage conservation.
An endangered fish recovery project near Moab is trying a new approach this year after unusually low Colorado River flows disrupted the wetland nursery process normally used to raise young razorback sucker. Earlier this month, biologists with the...
The city is trying to get residents and businesses to use less water this summer. They are focusing on education and hope to avoid mandatory restrictions.
Moab is in an extreme drought. Residents are encouraged to conserve water The Times-Independent
City modifies water shortage violation fines The Times-Independent
The city is setting up a formal plan to handle water shortages, which includes fines for residents who don't follow conservation rules during emergencies.
The city is putting a plan in place to handle water shortages. It clarifies what happens during a drought and makes indoor water saving tips voluntary, while keeping rules for outdoor water use clear.
The city is creating a plan to handle sudden water shortages, like a broken pump. It focuses on voluntary conservation first, moving to mandatory rules only if the situation gets serious.
The project would have set a precedent for full parking waivers in the downtown core, which the commission felt was not sustainable.
This allows medical services to operate in more areas of the city, improving access to healthcare.
These upgrades will improve facility efficiency, reduce maintenance burdens on staff, and improve comfort for the public.
These projects will shape the future growth and infrastructure needs of Moab.
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