Oakley puts a hold on new construction due to drought

Rockport Reservoir in June 2021. Photo: Weber Basin Water Conservancy District

OAKLEY, Utah. — The quintessential cowboy town of Summit County made a cowboy move on new construction and developments.

The residents and council members of Oakley have put a moratorium in place on growth, due to the drought throughout the town and state. The Oakley City Council announced a public notice for a moratorium on all building permit approvals and new landscaping requiring connection to City Culinary Water, cutting off construction permits, and growth.

The 6-month moratorium that is in place until November was written about by the New York Times, quoting Oakley Mayor, Wade Woolstenhulme saying, “Why are we building houses if we don’t have enough water?”

Also, town officials recently adjusted water rates to help mitigate the ongoing drought conditions. The Summit County town is home to about 1,700 people. City Council is working on more solutions to help alleviate the water burden, drilling for a new well.

Historically, the Ute tribe and Mormon pioneers were drawn to the Kamas Valley which is within twenty miles of the heads of four major Utah rivers: the Weber, Bear, Provo, and Duchesne. In 1850, Parley Pratt “reported that the valley had grass in abundance with plenty of water.” Now, the nearby Rockport Reservoir is currently at 32% water capacity.

KSL Utah interviewed Oakley water operator Dallas Hansen and said that “city leaders aren’t anti-growth, they just want to make sure they grow the right way.”