Are you water-wise?: How to save water, maintain a lawn or landscape, and find rebates in Utah
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- This photo taken Wednesday, July 17, 2024, shows drought-tolerant hybrid Bermuda grass tested by Brigham Young University researchers.
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- Poorly adjusted sprinkler heads may create a mist of droplets that can drift onto vegetables and fruits, like the vines near this sprinkler.
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- A sprinkler sprays a lawn with water on University Avenue in Provo on Friday, June 3, 2022.
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- A sprinkler waters the grass outside KFC on 12th Street in Ogden on Wednesday, June 9, 2021.
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- This undated photo shows Mt. Timpanogos and Deer Creek Reservoir.
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- Fishing on Strawberry Reservoir.
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- People play on the beach at the Spanish Oaks Reservoir on Wednesday, June 15, 2022.
It’s that time of year when temperatures rise, spring rainstorms have scattered throughout Northern Utah and many of us are trying to fire up whatever sprinklers we have as we reach summer.
You’ve heard Utah is a desert, no doubt. Luckily for us, there’s a group of experts already dialed in to weather trends and water needs when it comes to conserving water while watering your lawn and garden sufficiently.
The Utah Division of Water Resources and local conservancy districts have resources to assist home and business owners in upgrading equipment and dialing in landscape choices to save water during the hot summer months.
“I think there’s a misunderstanding of just how much water we actually use, especially the breakdown of outdoors versus indoors, and that little changes can really add up,” said Shelby Cooley, Conservation Manager for the Division of Water Resources. “We all play a part … when you’re looking at the whole scope of water use within a city or county.”
It might be hard for one person to grasp the scope of water use when measured in acre-feet, or millions of gallons. But in the state’s conservation goals, it’s measured in gallons used per person per day. In 2015, Utahns (in non-agricultural uses) used 240 gallons per capita per day, with a goal to get the state-wide average to 200 by 2030.
The lowest hanging fruit for homeowners, business owners and those who manage school and city facilities is outdoor water use. About 60% of residential water use within cities is used outdoors on landscapes, Cooley said.
And the lowest hanging fruit to address that is DWR’s weekly lawn watering guide.
“If you get rain, skip a watering and let Mother Nature do the watering for you,” Cooley said.
The state’s lawn watering guide publishes every Friday online at conservewater.utah.gov/weekly-lawn-watering-guide. The division’s experts analyze recent precipitation and expected temperatures to provide a simple map to guide your lawn watering schedule, broken down by county. In northern Utah, cool overnight temperatures and spring storms often have recommended irrigations at zero until sometime in June.
Cooley noted this guide is only for lawns and people should pay attention to tree and plant health, watering by hand as needed. Utah State University’s Extension office is a great resource for questions about what your trees and plants might need, she said.
If massive yard and green-space overhauls are out of reach, there are simple ways to be part of the water conservation effort for home and business owners.
On day-to-day matters, Cooley said it’s helpful to know what kind of soil you have. For example, a recent tip on the lawn watering guide page instructed that areas with clay soils should split up sprinkler run times in three cycles with pauses in between, allowing the ground to absorb water instead of pool and run off.
Even if you don’t know your soil type, a screwdriver is a handy yard tool. If you push a screwdriver into your lawn and it punctures your soil easily, your lawn does not need to be watered. If it doesn’t, it’s probably time to water.
When it comes to lawns, Cooley said adjusting mowers to cut grass at 3 to 4 inches helps reduce evaporation and protects grass roots. Another basic checklist item is fixing broken sprinkler heads and adjusting misaligned sprayers to stop sending water down sidewalks and into street gutters.
Monetary rebates or incentives are available in many places, Cooley said — money toward smart irrigation controllers, lawn exchange programs that turn grass areas into plants and mulch, and more. Entering your city at the website www.slowtheflow.org will tell you which local or state-wide rebate and incentive programs are available to you. In cities that don’t participate, Cooley encouraged people to contact local lawmakers to opt in to the programs.
More experts reside at your local water conservancy district, whether that’s Weber Basin, Central Utah or elsewhere. Cooley said most districts offer classes, often on nights or Saturdays, to help home and business owners learn more about conserving water while caring for a landscape, often through understanding the types of grasses, plants and trees that can thrive in a desert.
Additionally, www.localscapes.com, a program started by the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District, offers online resources (and more in-person classes) that can help people plan and implement water-wise and diverse landscaping in ways that will succeed in Utah.
But at a basic level, Cooley said every component matters in yard conservation efforts, even if you can’t do a one-summer overhaul of your entire space. Conservancy district resources can help you plan ways to change a park strip, a small side yard, or any odd sections of grass that don’t get used into a beautiful, low-water landscape feature.
Overall, Cooley said Utahns are making great progress, both in daily choices and in participating in rebate programs and educational opportunities. The division’s website says per capita water use has declined by at least 18% since 2015, which helps when drought is only one light winter and spring away. Cooley noted 17 Utah counties, mostly central and south, are currently under a drought declaration.
“I’ve been really impressed. Utahns have really stepped up, saving millions of gallons of water over the past couple of years,” Cooley said. “We never know what next year could bring since we are one of the driest states in the country. So we’re always pushing, drought or no drought; we need to make sure we’re using our water responsibly because if we’re not in a drought, we’re preparing for the next one.
“It’s the Utah ethic to do our best and be smart with our resources, and that includes water resources. Really proud of where we’re at, the progress we’ve made … we just want to keep that momentum going.”
MEETING CONSERVATION GOALS
Wherever you live in Utah, there’s a water conservation goal in place for your region.
Utah is one of the nation’s fastest-growing states, and has been for some time. It’s also a desert, which means watering your lawn five times per week, or watering city parks during a rain storm, don’t align with those goals.
The U.S. Census Bureau’s Dec. 2024 report puts Utah as the No. 4 fastest-growing state in the country, and No. 1 in the West, at 1.8% population growth from July 2023 to July 2024.
In 2016, Utah’s population growth was No. 1 nationally at a 2% increase year over year. With that came worry about water as a precious natural resource, and the state was in the midst of a process started by a legislative audit to establish water conservation goals for specific regions in Utah.
Through surveys and open houses, the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, and Utah’s Division of Water Resources, adopted these goals through a report prepared by two Utah engineering firms specializing in water use, wastewater, hydrogeology and landscape architecture.
“Utah also happens to be among the driest states in the country in terms of its annual precipitation. Its water resources are finite and, as in many parts of the world, their future is uncertain,” the 2019 report reads. “As Utah’s population continues to grow, so will its demand for water. As such, water development and water conservation should be considered in parallel.”
To meet these demands, goals in both the Weber River region (Weber, Morgan, Davis and Summit counties) and the Provo River region (Wasatch, Utah and Juab counties) is to reduce water use by 20% from 2015 to 2030.
Accomplishing this means buy-in from homeowners, business owners, and managers of city, school and industrial/commercial properties, the department says.
