How can Salt Lake City’s water department have such fine records as to deduce that over a 12 year period its top 100 users medium to large meters are under reporting about 5%, yet can not produce a water inventory?

Is it good public policy for a water department to use municipal protection & privilege for water market advantage, monetary gain, and gain of extra territorial jurisdiction power?

1-Framing the Question:  Does any city have the right to usurp the “future water needs” of another city by hoarding and/or monopolizing Utah’s water rights using representations to the state of “future need” to prevent other cities from obtaining and developing water rights in order to get and keep these cities over the water barrel, to trap another cities’ water customers?  Is it a good public policy to allow one city  to whack a few extra million bucks out of their neighboring cities rate payers?

Shouldn’t a city’s right to claim “future need” stops at its corporate limits?

2-The costs to maintain water monopoly,  trap water customers outside city limits, adds undue friction to Utah’s water commerce and increases water rates. Holladay, Town of Alta, and Cottonwood Heights are an example of water customers trapped by another city.  Salt Lake City has 31,231 outside city connections which over 12 months generates about  374,772 bills per year.  If $3.00 to $10.67 more is added per bill, then 1 million to 4 million dollars is captured from one city’s trapped customers and transferred to another city which hoarded a State water resource to block the water independence.

3-Is it appropriate for one city to unduly impact Utah’s water commerce and economy by a millions of dollars to garner a few extra millions in water revenues for non-essential water overhead?

4-Utah’s water rights are owned by the Public. If the unwritten rules of fairness and community are exchanged for expediency and lucre, then the rules need to be written by elected officials.