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ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) -- Water officials in southern Utah are continuing a program that offers free irrigation system checks to residents so they can save water.
About 200 people have had the checks this year. In most cases, they've had inefficient systems and tend to over-water. Results after the checks have shown residents are saving a lot of H2O.
"I just do a preliminary, initial look at what they've been watering and what their recommendations are," said Julie Breckenridge, of the Washington County Water Conservancy District.
"On average, about 30 percent of the water could be saved."
Washington County Water Conservancy District coordinator Julie Breckenridge said she looks at what residents have been watering. She says on average, about 30 percent of the water could be saved.
The county and St. George jointly offer the program, which is in its fourth year.
The biggest problem is that a lot of people water every day, while the recommendation for southern Utah is currently to water twice per week, according to officials.
People also don't check their sprinklers often enough, resulting in broken heads that gush water in the middle of the night or morning without anyone noticing.
"A lot of times people just don't know," Breckenridge said. "Maybe they're new in the area, or even if they've been in the area, they just do what their parents did."
The city of St. George has a resolution prohibiting watering between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. so less water evaporates during the heat of the day.
The checks last an hour and include tests of the soil's composition and root depth and the uniformity of the water system.
"Basically, I just don't want to be wasting water, letting it run down the drain," said St. George resident Heather Nelson, who wanted to learn whether she was using water efficiently. "Water's precious here in the desert, and I wanted them to help make sure I'm not wasting and only using what I need."
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Information from: The Spectrum
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
