SALT LAKE CITY (Oct. 21, 2022) – As fall temperatures settle in, the Weekly Lawn Watering Guide is now recommending most of the state shut off irrigation systems until next spring when irrigation season begins again. The only exception is Washington County, the division expects to recommend zero irrigations statewide in the next few weeks as temperatures continue to drop.
“The Weekly Lawn Watering Guide gives Utahns confidence when wondering how often they should water their lawn,” said Shelby Ericksen, conservation manager of the Division of Water Resources. “The interest in the guide is immense. The site was down for a couple hours during the summer, and we received multiple emails letting us know about it.”
As winter months draw closer, residents are encouraged to look for ways to save water indoors. Saving water indoors can be done by checking for leaks, getting a rebate for a water efficient toilet and running full loads in dishwashers and washing machines. Residents are encouraged to visit SlowtheFlow.org for water conservation tips. This is also a great time to plan water wise landscaping projects for next spring. Removing grass and planting water wise plants are best done in the spring; this will help plants establish themselves while not enduring summer heat.
“Conservation shouldn’t end when we turn off our sprinklers. Look For ways to save water today so we have it for tomorrow,” said Candice Hasenyager, director of the Utah Division of Water Resources. “Water conservation is a top priority for the state. We don’t know how much precipitation we will get this winter, which makes it extremely important to save water now.”
Between May 7th 2022 and Oct 21st 2022, the Weekly Lawn Watering Guide page was viewed 163,991 times, accounting for 82% of all pageviews on conservewater.utah.gov. This is up 69% from the same span of time last year, where there were only 97,182 views accounting for 78% of conservewater’s traffic.
The guide takes extensive data based on weather patterns and evapotranspiration rates and simplifies it into how many days per week to water based on conditions in each county. Keep in mind these are general county recommendations, and people need to monitor their landscape and make adjustments as needed. With storms in the forecast, Washington County residents are encouraged to check weather conditions and adjust irrigation accordingly.
Utahns did a great job using less water this year. We have reported water savings of over 9 billion gallons (28,000 ac-ft). Thanks to all those that used less water to get us through this drought.
View the Weekly Lawn Watering Guide. For more information, contact Michael Sanchez, public information officer, at 385-226-8967 or email msanchez@utah.gov.
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The Utah Division of Water Resources is one of eight divisions housed within the Department of Natural Resources. Tasked with planning, conserving, developing and protecting Utah’s water resources, the division serves as Utah’s water steward.
