The U. has cut its water consumption by 15 percent in the past five years alone, and on Wednesday it vowed to conserve even more. The university and Salt Lake County Parks rushed to sign up for "Smart Sprinkling," a new water conservation effort by the Utah Rivers Council.
"We have a lot of area to take care of, and as one of the biggest water users in the county, it is important to us to set a good example by using our sprinkler system as efficiently as possible," said Corey Higgins, plant operations director for the university.
In the 1990s, the 800-acre campus consumed nearly 1.5 billion gallons of water - a huge portion of it for irrigating 300 acres of landscape. The U. already has cut that volume by more than half by using xeriscaping, switching to low-water grass and updating its irrigation system. But Higgins said it plans to do better still.
The Rivers Council's campaign comes as Utahns begin turning on their sprinklers for the summer. And its water-saving tips come during a year when forecasters predict a drier, hotter summer following a dismal spring runoff.
The environmental group's Mark Danenhauer said that not only can a scarce, but vital, resource be saved through smart adjustments to outdoor watering, but it also can save Utahns lots of money.
By the River Council's estimates, about two-thirds of the water we use goes outdoors. And half of that is wasted by inefficient use of automatic sprinkler systems.
As the state continues to grow, the pressure on our rivers and reservoirs increases and the need to develop more water supplies threatens to add hundreds of millions of dollars to the cost of providing that water, Danenhauer added. Conservation is one way to hold down those added costs, he said.
"Smart Sprinkling is not about having a brown lawn," he said. "It's going to help people have a beautiful lawn and landscape and still save water."
The new campaign includes a how-to-save-water video that can be viewed on the group's Web site www.utahrivers.org/smartsprinkling or ordered online. Danenhauer also pointed out that sprinkler system audits are available for free at 1-877-SAVH20 or online at www.slowtheflow.org.
In addition, for people who want to get rid of their water-hogging lawns altogether, there is the "Rip Your Strip" campaign, also available online at the Utah Rivers Council Web page, as well as the advice of the local nurseries.
Conservation "has to become a way of life," said Danenhauer. "That's the only way we're going to be able to meet our future water needs."
fahys@sltrib.com
Design
* Different parts of your yard have different watering needs. Plan your landscape and irrigation system so that the different parts of your landscape (lawn, shrubs and garden) are on separate watering zones. For example, you should be able to operate the sprinkler heads in the lawn independently of the sprinkler heads for shrubs.
* Ensure that all the sprinkler heads in one zone are similar. For example, don't use a gear drive pop-up and a bubbler in the same zone.
* Use the proper type of sprinkler heads in the proper zone Ð for small areas use stationary heads, drip irrigation or bubblers; for medium areas use spring-loaded pop-up heads; and for large areas, use gear drive pop-up or impact heads.
* Install a soil moisture sensor, which helps eliminate watering when it is not needed.
Implementation
* Change your watering schedule throughout the year. Develop your own specific watering schedule. Water less frequently in the spring and fall and more frequently in the summer. See the ''technique'' section of the Smart Sprinkling Web site for more information.
* Perform a water audit to develop a watering schedule based on the performance of your sprinkler system. For a free water check, visit http://www.slowtheflow.org/programs/H20program.asp.
* Where possible, install a drip irrigation system. Drip irrigation can minimize your water use as much as 70 percent.
* Irrigate your landscape between 6 p.m. and 10 a.m. to reduce water loss due to evaporation.
* Do not water when it rains and generally for three days afterward.
* To avoid runoff on slopes, water in cycles Ð for example, three five-minute watering periods with one hour of soak time in between rather than one 15-minute period.
* Watering less frequently will allow the water to soak in and help to develop good roots.
* Do not water every day.
Maintenance
* Only water living things. Ensure all sprinkler heads are correctly aligned to prevent watering driveways and sidewalks.
* Check water line leaks in the spring, fall and every month.
* Check for clogged or broken heads in the spring, fall and every month.
* For more information, visit the ''technique'' section of the Smart Sprinkling Web site at www.utahriver.org/smartsprinkling.
Source: Utah Rivers Council
