Utah Division of Water Resources’ watering guide could save billions of gallons
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| Image: Robert Couse-Baker |
The Independent
Even though the state has experienced a relatively wet spring so far, as the temperatures rise, experts say it’s never too early to start thinking about water conservation. Along these lines, the Utah Division of Water Resources says its “Weekly Lawn Watering Guide” could be worth billions of gallons of water if Utahns pay attention to it.
“The weekly lawn watering guide is a simple tool that, if Utahns really use, could result in substantial water savings,” said Eric Klotz, the manager of the Division of Water Resources Water Conservation and Education Section. “And by substantial, we mean more than 24 billion gallons between April and October. That’s billion with a capital ‘B.'”
The Utah Division of Water Resources estimates that if residents would water according to what regional landscapes actually need per the weekly watering guide, it could result resulting in 74,000 acre-feet in savings during a typical irrigation season (April through October), more than 24 billion gallons of water.
“We are not talking about people tearing out all of their grass, halting gardening and living on a gallon a day,” Klotz said. “We are talking about, on average, watering in a regionally appropriate way. The nightly news gives you a seven day weather forecast; the weekly lawn watering guide gives a seven day watering recommendation forecast. It is easy to follow.”
Klotz said the amount of watering people should cut back depends on what they’re using now. Some people are watering every day when they should only be watering between one and three times per week. However, Klotz reiterated that the weekly lawn watering guide makes those decisions easy. The guide is a map that indicates watering recommendations by county. The division tracks precipitation, temperature, and other factors to establish the guide. It then publishes the weekly guide on www.slowtheflow.org, the Utah Division of Water Resources Facebook and Twitter accounts and www.conservewater.utah.gov.
Eric Millis, Utah Division of Water Resources Director, said the division wants to empower people to make water-wise decisions and said that changing behavior is about challenging ourselves through responsible decisions. Millis says the weekly lawn watering guide can really reduce water use and that he thinks Utahns are up to the challenge.
