SALT LAKE CITY — Jesse Dudley has been a landscaper in Utah for six years.
“We only get so much water," he said. "We've got to do our part.”
Utahns might be eager to get their sprinklers going, but it's too early, said Dudley, who owns Leisure Landscape and Irrigation in South Salt Lake.
“With these colder temperatures, we don't need to turn on our systems yet," he said. "Spring came a couple weeks early this year. It's not warm enough. Your grass is going to be fine.”
The Utah Department of Natural Resources echoed the landscaper’s advice in its first Weekly Lawn Watering Guide of the year. The guide advises all counties in Utah not to water lawns, except for Washington County.
“They've had several consecutive days over the mid-70s with no precipitation and even forecasting into this next week," said Candice Hasenyager, the director of the Division of Water Resources. "By Tuesday, St. George will be about 87 degrees. Utah is one of the most arid states in the nation, and our water supplies are limited, and we need to use them responsibly.”
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Utah’s drought is already changing the way people see their lawns.
“I've had a lot more business getting rid of grass," said Dudley. "People are kind of moving away from grass where they can.”
Even if people can’t water the grass yet, the landscaper still be keeping busy this week.
"If anything, it's putting sprinklers on everybody's mind to make sure that their system is good to go."
