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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Gov. Gary Herbert ordered all state agencies Wednesday to curb water use by upgrading irrigation systems, implementing leak-detection devices where possible, and prohibiting outdoor watering during daytime hours.
Herbert signed an executive order amid Utah's struggles with the continued effects of a four-year drought and criticism that the state's water resources agency isn't doing enough to push conservation.
With the executive order, the governor said state agencies "will lead by example" and "start taking measures to conserve in our own areas of responsibility."
Herbert's order includes a 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ban on watering landscapes. In addition, state-owned and managed facilities also must:
We are preparing to draft up a series of recommendations that will include individuals to businesses to government, and who's responsible and how it gets accomplished. This is going to be a significant effort.
–Alan Matheson, Herbert's environmental adviser
• Replace inefficient plumbing fixtures with low-flow fixtures.
• Audit and repair all landscape systems so they are operating efficiently.
• Implement leak detection and repair systems for both indoor and outdoor use.
• Evaluate areas where turf can be replaced.
The executive order is likely to affect some of the largest water consumers at a time when the state's per capita consumption is ranked among the highest in the nation — according to data compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey.
That high consumption was also noted in a recent report issued by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation that pointed to outdoor irrigation that drives Utah's numbers higher than many of its neighbors.
In a report released Wednesday by the Utah Snow Survey of the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service, stream flow forecasts were pegged at just 30 percent of what is normal.
The state is coming off a water year in which the winter months in northern Utah recorded the highest on-record temperatures with the least amount of snowfall.
Only three snow measuring sites as of May 1 in the Bear River region have any measurable snow — average of 10 inches — and just one in the Weber River area.
The governor's State Water Strategy Advisory Team is also gearing up to help Utahns conserve water in the coming summer months.
"We are preparing to draft up a series of recommendations that will include individuals to businesses to government, and who's responsible and how it gets accomplished," said Alan Matheson, Herbert's environmental adviser. "This is going to be a significant effort."
