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| Is West Jordan Reaching Its Goal?
Many years ago West Jordan set the goal to reduce our per capita water consumption by 25% compared to the year 2000 baseline. West Jordan experienced several years of record setting water conservation from the year 2000 through 2006, followed by higher water use in 2007, when the hot weather required us to water our landscapes more than usual. Since 2007 our water use has steadily decreased and in 2011 we reached our goal of 25% per capita reduction. Congratulations and thank you! However, our water conservation success is fragile and West Jordan could return to our wasteful watering habits if we’re not careful.
Why does our water consumption change so drastically?
In general, it's mostly due to fluctuations in the weather. Many people don't realize that two-thirds of our potable (drinking) water in West Jordan is used outdoors on our landsapes! Unless you have access to secondary/canal water, the same water that goes into your home also goes into our sprinkler systems. When we have an unusually hot summer, we need to water our landscapes more to keep them green. But we also use a lot of water because some people assume that conservation is no longer needed since they haven't heard "drought" commercials on TV and radio lately. In reality, Utah's water shortages are not a result of drought, but of population growth versus available water supply. The Utah Division of Water Resources has shown that even if Utah never has another drought, per capita water consumption must be reduced by 25% statewide (compared to year 2000 baseline) in order to meet future water needs with the currently available water sources. | | Help? | Lawn Watering Guide | | Month | Apply 1/2" of water once every... | | Apr | 6 days | | May | 4 days | | Jun | 3 days | | Jul | 3 days | | Aug | 3 days | | Sep | 6 days | | Oct | 10 days |
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 | Utah’s Water-Wise Ethic
Utah's population is expected to double in the next 20 years, which will require new, expensive water sources. Utahns need to maintain a water-wise lifestyle, even if we're not experiencing a drought, in order to protect our scarce resources for future generations. | |
West Jordan is growing
The City of West Jordan could grow from its current population of 100,000 to 160,000 or more by the year 2030. Most of the City’s culinary (potable) water is provided by Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District. The District is routinely developing new water sources (wells, streams, pipelines, etc.) to meet the increased demand of our City and several other communities in the Salt Lake Valley. Conservation: the best solution
All of the convenient (inexpensive) water sources are already being utilized. All new water sources will reduce stream flows and lake levels, require longer pipelines, and will be more expensive. The most effective and least expensive solution is water conservation. Using water more efficiently has little or no impact on our lifestyle and actually saves us money! Less demand for water means fewer expensive water sources and less impact to the environment. Join our Citizen Sustainability Committee
You can take an active part in promoting water conservation in West Jordan by joining the Sustainability Committee! Local residents meet once a month with City staff and City Council representatives to recommend ideas for reducing our impact on the environment and reducing costs of operating the city. Contact Arlene Farley at 801-569-5100 for more information abouththe Sustainability Committee. Click here for more information.
Resources
Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District
Slow the Flow
Governor's Water Conservation Team
Contact Information
Steve Glain
Management Assistant to the City Manager
8000 S. Redwood Road
West Jordan, UT 84088
Telephone: 801-569-5156
Fax: 801-569-5127
steveg@wjordan.com |
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