Redmond Town concluded its clean up week with a beautification project Saturday morning where citizens gathered to plant flowers for the park and town hall. In addition to cleaning up around town, residents were asked to remember the current drought conditions the state is experiencing and requested that watering be dine at night and less often.
Utah’s Governor has issued an Executive Order declaring a state of emergency due to drought and is also requiring conservation at state facilities.
According to Utah’s Division of Water Resources, Snowpack peaked 10 days early at 81% of average. Peaking early means the runoff won’t be as effective, with less water making it to rivers and streams. And with soil moisture the lowest it has been since monitoring began in 2006, streamflow runoff projections are very low.
With less water expected to enter lakes and reservoirs, people are asked to be aware of their water use. Outdoor watering accounts for 60% of residential use. And a single lawn watering for the average quarter-acre lot in Utah uses 3,000 gallons of water, so eliminating even one watering adds up! Follow the division’s lawn watering guide (which can be found on salinasun.online) to find out how many days per week you should water according to weather and evapotranspiration rates in your county.
Also, look for ways to save indoors. For example, turn the water off when not actively in use, run full loads in the dishwasher and washing machine, fix leaks and take shorter showers. If we all shift our water habits and use less, we can stretch our water supply.
