Conservation expert urges responsible water use

SALT LAKE CITY — As Utah’s hot, dry summer continues, a Utah State University conservation specialist is urging Utahns to practice responsible water use. 

Utah is the third driest state in the U.S., following Nevada and Arizona. However, USU said it’s among the top per capita water consumers. 

Landscape irrigation, or watering plants, accounts for as much as 65% of city water use, according to USU. 

“Not only is this a tremendous resource waste, especially in a drought year, but water lost through overspray can cause substantial damage to infrastructure such as streets and sidewalks, decks, patios and decorative concrete,” USU Extension Water Conservation and Turfgrass Specialist Kelly Kopp said. 

How can water use be cut? 

According to USU, some areas in the state are recommending that home and business owners water their lawns a maximum of twice a week. 

KSL NewsRadio previously reported that many Utah reservoirs have fallen below 40% full. 

Kopp said experts often recommend dispensing a half-inch of water per irrigation session. Watering twice a week equals one inch of water used weekly. 

Additionally, aim to keep your lawn at least two inches tall. Longer is better, according to USU. It allows the roots to reach deeper into soil, increasing health.

Sprinkler heads determine the duration of water cycles. USU provided this chart, which displays their output per run time. 

Head Type	Precipitation Rate	Run Time for 0.5 inches	Cycling Rec.
Spray Head	1.3-2.0”	23-15 min	3 cycles (8 or 5 min)
Rotor Head	0.4-1.0”	75-30 min	3 cycles (25 or 10 min)
MSMT Head	0.4-0.6”	75-50 min	3 cycles (25 or 17 min)

“It can be tempting to water more, but that is plenty of water to keep grass alive and more than many other plants require,” Kopp said. 

Smart irrigation controls may be useful in curbing water use, too. According to USU, they rely on weather conditions and automatically schedule irrigation sessions. 

Need money to purchase them? You may be able to get a rebate through the state of Utah. 

“Though grass will likely go dormant for a time during the peak heat of summer, dormancy is a normal turfgrass biological process, and it will recover as temperatures cool in the fall,” Kopp said. 

Browning on small areas of lawn is caused by system inefficiencies. Instead of watering the whole patch longer, USU advised using a hose to deliver extra water to those areas. 

Similarly, shady areas should be watered less than sunny areas. 

To cut water use in your flower beds, hand water those areas, or install drip irrigation systems. USU said you can also cover exposed soil with two to three inches of mulch or grass clippings.