Salt Lake City promotes conservation this outdoor watering season

Salt Lake City, UT – Salt Lake City is kicking off the 2024 outdoor irrigation season by encouraging customers to use water wisely. Conservation is one of the best ways to extend our existing water supply and protect the Great Salt Lake. The lake is critical to our community’s health and wellness, our environment, and our economy. Endangering the Great Salt Lake has the potential to negatively impact all of us. While the lake level has risen due to the last two good water years, this is not enough to back down on our conservation efforts.

Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities (SLCDPU) has many tools available to help our community save water. We have resumed two of our most popular water conservation programs – rain barrels and SLC TurfTrade low-water use grass seed. Both products are intended to help community members adopt new habits to increase efficient water usage in their landscapes.

Rain barrels are a way to capture and store precipitation from storm events by collecting water from a home’s gutters. SLCDPU has partnered with Upcycle Products, Inc. to offer 55-gallon rain barrels to its customers for $69.50/each plus sales tax. The 55-gallon barrels are made of recycled and repurposed food-grade plastic. Rain barrel water can be stored and used for outdoor irrigation. Rain barrel water is not intended for drinking or other culinary purposes. Click here for more information and to purchase your rain barrel.

Community members who want to maintain grass in their outdoor landscaping while also conserving water should consider SLC TurfTrade low-water use grass seed. Identified with support from Utah State University’s (USU) Center for Water-Efficient Landscaping, this specially formulated grass seed mix is certified drought-tolerant by the Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance (TWCA), and well-suited to thrive in areas along the Wasatch Front. Learn more about and purchase your low-water use grass seed online.

Those who are looking for more ways to improve their outdoor water use can explore other water conservation resources listed below.

• Water Checks: have a USU team visit your home or business to assess your outdoor watering habits and provide recommendations to improve watering efficiency.
• WaterMAPS^TM: compare your outdoor watering history with your landscape irrigation needs to determine whether you can adjust your watering habits or use water more efficiently.

Some of the water conservation tools provided above are intended for SLCDPU customers and may require customers to provide their account number to access the resources. Other resources are available for Utahns who live outside of SLCDPU’s service area but still want to prioritize water conservation. Residents should check with their municipality or water provider for resources specific to their location.

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