2A: Water-Saving Success: Small Changes Reap Big Benefits

Utah State University Extension’s Water Check Program offers Utah residents and landscape managers onsite evaluations of their irrigation system efficiency and provides customized sprinkler irrigation schedules that conserve water while maintaining plant health. Recommended irrigation repairs and improvements are also provided to participants. Researchers recently evaluated the program’s effectiveness for reducing outdoor water use, which accounts for the greatest amount of residential use and offers the largest opportunity for conservation.

Researchers used five-second water use data collected with FlumeTM Smart Water Home Monitors at participating residences before and after a water check evaluation to answer four questions.

• How much water did households save?
• Which water check recommendations did participants implement?
• Why did participants implement some recommendations and not others?
• What opportunities exist to further reduce landscape water use?

The 59 participating households implemented a variety of water-saving techniques, such as reducing water application to match the needs of their landscape plants, reducing the duration and number of irrigation events, and increasing the period between irrigation events. An evaluation of water savings during the month following each Water Check showed that participants reduced water use by 626,000 gallons (a 20-30% reduction, on average). These findings were similar across two participating cities: Logan and Hyde Park, Utah.

Based on the study’s results, several actions were recommended to improve the Water Check Program, including assessing drip irrigation zones, sharing examples of water-wise landscapes, providing contact information for landscape contractors, and connecting participants to city water conservation staff.