Wednesday, July 5, 2023
Salt Lake's grass is greener after a record winter, but Utahns still can't afford to waste water
Urban Living
Posted By Babs De Lay on July 5, 2023, 4:00 AM
Wasatch Front ski resorts had more snowfall last winter than any other year on record. And it wasn't just Utah—the Sierras and Colorado's Rocky Mountains got hammered, too.
Happily, we appear to be coming out of the worst drought conditions of recent years, as lakes and reservoirs fill and rivers run high—with several feeding into the Great Salt Lake. Sailboats are back on our salty sea, and rocks are getting covered up at Lake Powell. Let's hope we're in store for more wet years!
The local news has educated us this past year—when the Great Salt Lake hit its lowest level ever—that most of the water in Utah is used for agriculture. Did you know our clover hay is considered almost equal to gold bullion overseas? Pricey feed!
We can't relax our water use ever again. Global warming is real, and if the GSL goes, we will vanish, either by dying from the toxic air or by moving the hell out. Now, with summer officially here, people are sprinkling their lawns and landscaping helter-skelter, wasting water every day.
Utah Water Savers will pay you to replace your grass with water-efficient landscaping. When you upgrade your thirsty lawns to water-wise plants, trees and shrubs, you can earn a cash incentive plus increase your curb appeal, decrease maintenance requirements and reduce water usage—and your water bill.
These incentives are not just for residences. If you're connected to a municipal water system, and not in arrears, you can qualify. You must then do the prescribed upgrades within 12 months. There are rules to qualify, like plant-coverage minimums and grass-coverage maximums. Grass is also prohibited on park strips, slopes and areas less than 8-feet wide. You can get 50 cents to $3 per square foot, depending on where your water comes from (i.e., Weber Basin, Central Utah, etc.).
One of the best things you can do is a sprinkler performance test. Pick up some "catch cans" from the USU Extension Office or use a can to collect sprinkler water to measure the depth after, say, one hour of watering.
In Salt Lake County, the recommended irrigation is 0.5 inches for turfgrass. Right now, you should be watering roughly every three days until September, when it's every six days.
To get paid to replace your grass, contact utahwatersavers.org. Project qualifications vary depending on your water district, and you must get pre-approved. The website tells you how to perform your own site inspection on water use.
About The Author
Babs De Lay
A full-time broker/owner of Urban Utah Homes and Estates, Babs De Lay serves on the Salt Lake City Historic Landmark Commission. A writer and golfer, you'll find them working as a staff guardian at the Temple at Burning Man each year.
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