I am writing to propose a way to conserve water across our city and/or state. Gov. Cox recently declared a state of emergency in Utah due to an unprecedented water shortage that will affect most of the state and can have a major impact on farming communities. As responsible homeowners we are wondering what we can do to help in this situation. In our experience, trusting residents to reduce water usage is not a reliable strategy as many people across our state continue to overwater their lawn.
The park strip in front of our Sugar House home requires four sprinklers. It’s an area that is not utilized, but provides the neighborhood with its charm and curb appeal. It’s relatively costly and labor intensive (in addition to city standards and regulations) for each homeowner to convert this space into a more water-efficient / water-wise area, and many will not make the effort on their own. It would be nice to see the city incentivize homeowners to convert this space through subsidized programs. It would also create jobs for those in need of work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering this portion of land is city owned, we would also support a city wide mandate to convert the space.
Improving education and awareness of water conservation across the state is paramount. Our community absolutely needs to change our habits if we are going to support the projected population growth. As it stands now, I do not see any change in mindset and water use across our community.
I believe these investments in our future to protect an essential natural resource are critical to our community and we absolutely need to make a more concerted effort to change our habits.
Elena and Justin Lane, Salt Lake City
