Water shoots out of a sprinkler in Herriman on Tuesday, April 18, 2017. The Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District is asking communities to reduce water use. Scott G Winterton Deseret News
SALT LAKE CITY — A new poll from the Deseret News/Hinckley Institue of Politics finds a majority of Utahns are willing to be more ‘water-wise’ when it comes to their lawns. But, they prefer to be compensated.
Of the 1,000 registered voters who were polled, 65% said they want some type of reward or rebate for using less water. And they also want stiffer penalties for those who aren’t following water restriction recommendations.
Kim Wells, spokeswoman for the Utah Division of Water Resources, tells the Deseret News rebates usually come from the local level. However, Utah state does give incentives to people who install low-flow toilets and smart irrigation controllers.
Forty-five percent of those polled said they aren’t washing their cars as much. 47% are spending less time in the shower and 64% report they are watering their lawns less.
However, 32 percent said they haven’t changed their water habits at all. This goes against repeated calls from multiple city and state officials to reduce how often lawns are watered. Drought experts say no more than two days a week is sufficient.
Wells said the state is looking to expand water-saving programs but said grass is resilient. Only one inch of water per month is enough to keep it alive.
Wells said it won’t be green. The lawn will go dormant and turn brown, but it will survive.
To see the complete poll from the Hinckley Institute, go to the original article in the Deseret News.