It’s that time of year when the weather starts to turn. While some people long for warmer days and were upset with Punxsutawney Phil others are hoping for a few more good storms to roll through.
For me I fall in the latter category for a couple of reasons. While I don’t ski or snowboard, I do love hiking and snow shoeing in the mountains so the first reason I want a few more storms to roll in is because I’m not ready to have my winter adventures come to an end. The second reason is the one that should be more important to everyone, not just residents of Lehi, but across the state and that is Snow Water Equivalent. As city council members we all take on different assignments and this year I was a board member of the Lehi Irrigation Company which gave me even more insight as to how our fall storms, snowpack, and spring runoff really impact our water levels. This year it seems like the storms have come in streaks and then big breaks of no storms for a while. As a result of that as of March 14th we’re sitting at 82%…not awful but not great either.
As a city we did a remarkable job of conserving water, saving over 1 BILLION gallons of water, through our collective efforts last year. While I for one am hoping for a few more storms to roll through, to help with the Snow Water Equivalent levels, we’ll likely need help from our residents again this year to help with conservation efforts.
Anticipating that the city has gotten a jump on it with a couple of initiatives going into this year. 1) While the Pressurized Irrigation water the city provides will be available the first thing we’re asking as a city is that residents not water their lawns until May 1st. This will not only help conserve our valuable water resources but actually lends itself to a healthier lawn by encouraging deeper roots.
2) Flip the Strip program. The lawn in your park strip uses between 5,000 and 8,000 gallons of water each year! By replacing it with a water-efficient design, you will not only conserve water and create more curb appeal, you could also receive up to $1.25 per square foot with the Flip Your Strip rebate program. For detailed information and a guide to get you started, go to https://utahwatersavers.com/Program/2/flip-your-strip.
– Paul Hancock
