Lehi urging residents to conserve water during drought, heat wave
Jun 4, 2021, 6:48 PM | Updated: Jun 22, 2021, 9:05 am
FILE - In this July 16, 2014 file photo, what was once a marina sits high and dry due to Lake Mead receding in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Arizona. Arizona won't have all the pieces of a Colorado River drought plan wrapped up by a March 4 deadline set by the federal government, state water officials said Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019. It's the latest hurdle threatening the seven-state plan to take less water from the drought-starved Colorado River, which provides water for 40 million people and 5.5 million acres of farmland. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
(AP Photo/John Locher, File)
SALT LAKE CITY — As Utah Gov. Spencer Cox calls on Utahns to pray for rain amid a bone-dry drought and sun-drenched record heat, Lehi has implemented a new policy to help residence conserve water.
Lehi officials are hoping that if residents follow these restrictions and conserve water now, they can hold off on stricter restrictions in the summer.
Lehi said its residents should only water up to three days per week. The city also strongly recommends only watering two days a week in June.
Also, it advises residents to allow for at least 48 hours between the start of watering cycles for each irrigation zones.
Lehi added that this does not apply to garden areas, new seeds or sod.
The city also advises residents to visit the weekly watering guide published by The Utah Division of Water Resources to determine how often you should water based on temperature and precipitation rates.
No doubt 100% of the state is in a drought
“Our streams are only flowing at 30 percent of average right now. Our snowpack is at 14 percent of normal. If we don’t conserve earlier, we will have to put heavier restrictions on later,” said David Norman, Lehi’s Public Works director.
Norman said he’s never seen the lack of water this bad and pleads with residents to make smart choices about water use.
According to the Department of Natural Resources, 100% of Utah is experiencing drought while 90% is in extreme drought.
Related reading:
Heat expected over the weekend won’t help the Utah drought
Syracuse issues secondary water restrictions amid drought conditions
Utah Rivers Council calls on state to change water policies to end drought
