SALT LAKE CITY (Oct. 21, 2024) – The Utah Division of Water Resources and the Utah Division of Facilities Construction and Management have partnered to create the State Facility Water Tracker. This new tool displays data related to water use specifically at state facilities. Visualizing this data helps us better understand water conservation efforts at these locations. Preliminary numbers show that Utah state facilities have achieved a 20% reduction in water use since 2020.
“State government is showing it’s serious about water conservation,” said Candice Hasenyager, director of the Division of Water Resources. “This tool highlights how state facilities are doing their part and where improvements can be made.”
HB 121 (2022) sets water conservation requirements for state facilities. Any state government facility built or reconstructed on or after May 4, 2022 may not have more than 20% of the grounds be lawn or turf. Existing facilities must do the following:
- Collect and report outdoor water use data for fiscal year 2020 as a baseline measurement.
- Reduce outdoor water use in an amount equal to or greater than 5% by the end of fiscal year 2023.
- Reduce outdoor water use in an amount equal to or greater than 25% by the end of fiscal year 2026.
The Division of Water Resources, in coordination with DFCM, developed this tool to proactively monitor the reduction in outdoor watering at individual state facilities/campuses and identify improvement areas.
“State facility managers have been working hard to achieve the goal set forth by the legislature,” said Christopher Cox, DFCM Building Performance Program Manager. “This tool provides managers with information on how close they are to achieving their goals.”
View the State Facility Water Tracker. 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 ten 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.
