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Davis Journal

Proclamation of water scarcity means new regs in Bountiful

May 06, 2022 02:17PM ● By Tom Haraldsen

Watering your lawns and gardens will look a bit different in Bountiful this summer, out of necessity. The state’s drought, the most severe on record, has forced a lot of restrictions to be passed in various communities in Davis County.

Bountiful City Council approved a Proclamation Declaring Scarcity of Water, and set into motion a series of restrictions for the use of culinary water for outdoor watering. The restrictions will remain in place until April 15, 2023 unless conditions improve or are renewed for an additional period by the council.

The Weber Basin Water Conservancy District is delaying the discharge of secondary water systems until mid-May due to the severe drought conditions in the state of Utah, and adopted restrictions for lawn and garden watering that limit it to one day a week. 

In Bountiful, a number of east side homes do not have access to secondary water for irrigation of their lawns and gardens and therefore use culinary water in their yards. The proclamation also sets forth a series of regulations for culinary water usages. Here is a summary of those restrictions:

Outdoor watering with culinary water is expressly prohibited between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. (This is not new – it’s already part of the city code).

Outdoor use of culinary water is not permitted on any Wednesday. This is known as a “recovery day” for the city’s water system.

Landscaping, which includes turf, plantings and gardening on residential properties, may only be watered once a week. Zone run times can be no longer than 20 minutes for pop-up sprinklers and 40 minutes for rotary style sprinklers.

Hand watering is allowed one time per week for a maximum flow rate of 5 gallons per minute for established trees and shrubs. This includes newly installed landscaping.

Rinsing or washing of sidewalks, driveways, patios or other outdoor surfaces is prohibited.

Residential swimming pools may only be filled by using a hose connection to a primary structure, with a maximum flow rate of 5 gallons per minute.

Some public facilities such as the Bountiful Ridge Golf Course and certain city parks will be permitted to spot water to prevent damage from wide public use. That will include hand watering of greens and tee boxes, while exteriors of some fairways will be watered less and “rough” will be allowed to grow taller—all water saving procedures. 

There are enforcement actions to be implemented for any violations of the water restrictions, starting with a written warning and spanning to include substantial fines for ongoing offenses, including possible termination of culinary water services until fines are paid. The city website has more information about the water restrictions.λ