The Moab City proposal to build an additional water tank for culinary water is premature and may not meet state codes.
The new tank will increase Moab’s storage capacity by over 80 percent and will cost several million dollars. Moab City, Grand County and others are currently spending several hundred thousand dollars for a water study to determine the quantity of water available in our Glen Canyon Aquifer. Building a multimillion dollar tank before the water study is complete may be a waste of public funds.
Moab City cannot show the tank is needed as they have not completed the calculations required by the state. State code has a detailed calculation that determines the quantity of culinary water for hotels, residents and fire protection.
Moab City should postpone construction of the additional water tank until the water study is completed. Moab City has enough “paper water” to fill the tank but has no idea if there is enough actual water in the ground to fill the tank. Over-pumping our aquifer can permanently damage the aquifer’s ability to hold water.
