Drought brings scrutiny to Utah’s high water use, low rates

By ZAK PODMORE
The Salt Lake Tribune

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — With 88% of Utah in exceptional drought conditions, there’s new scrutiny of the state’s place among the highest municipal per capita water users in the United States. Zach Frankel of the Utah Rivers Council tells The Salt Lake Tribune the low water rates Utahns pay are a big factor. Those low rates are something of an anomaly in the arid West. In Phoenix, for example, water users get their first 7,000 gallons of water at no charge. That’s more than the typical home uses for needs like cooking, cleaning and showering.  But rates shoot up if people use more water for things like maintaining a green lawn.