Written by Mayor Jon Pike
Another school year has come and gone, and summer is upon us. We’ve had a wonderful May, with lower temperatures and around 400 percent of normal rainfall. Of course, that’s not saying much when we typically get almost no rainfall in May! But the moisture has definitely helped our water situation – mostly because we didn’t need to water as much this spring. This is a good thing since our winter snowfall was far below average, similar to the last few years. As we move into triple-digit temperatures, I hope we will all take care to use our water wisely.
Most cities in southwest Utah have—or will soon—put in force seasonal watering restrictions. We need to make sure we’re only watering between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. We should also check our sprinklers and timers frequently to make sure the watering time is appropriate and that sprinklers are functioning correctly. We don’t want geysers or to be watering paved surfaces.
Something to note: the City of St. George utilizes some irrigation and some re-use water (water that has been used once, treated, and is now available to be used again for landscape purposes only). We water our two cemeteries, many of the parks, golf courses, and sports fields with these non-drinkable water sources. Because of the volume, we don’t have enough storage capacity to allow us to do all this watering from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., so you will sometimes see these facilities being watered during the day. We do our best to avoid the hottest parts of the day, but I want to help people understand this is not drinking water, and we’re doing all we can to use all water sources wisely.
Occasionally, we all see sprinklers malfunctioning. If you see any of ours doing so, please call the city or email me and let us know. If we see sprinklers malfunctioning, we will inform property owners and request that they be repaired or re-directed. We don’t currently have any fines established for those not watering during specified hours or for otherwise wasting water; however, we are considering implementing something along those lines. Many years ago, St. George had a fine established for wasting water. I’d be interested to know what people think about doing so again.
We will also consider water rates more in the future and how much water each property should be expected to use versus what they actually use. These considerations will take time, effort, and money, but I believe they will be necessary for our long-term sustainability as a city and region.
I encourage every citizen to carefully review their water use and see what they can do (inside and out) to use less of this precious resource. There are many resources available to help us in our efforts to conserve water, including the Washington County Water Conservancy District and other online sites. Over the past decade, we’ve reduced our water use by 26 percent, which is better than the state average reduction. I’d like to see us continue and improve upon these efforts.
If you have an opportunity this summer, I hope you’ll visit the new Red Cliffs Desert Garden where you will find a beautiful garden/park to enjoy with your family and friends. It is immediately adjacent to the very popular Pioneer Park on the north end of town on what we call the Red Hill. Besides the peace and beauty, you’ll be able to see what kinds of plants, shrubs, and trees do well in our environment. Soon there will be signs with QR codes so your smartphones can bring up helpful information on each plant to help you decide what will work in your yard.
Let’s each do our best to learn about water conservation in our own homes and yards. Have a wonderful and safe summer!
