(Editor’s Note—This is one of our continuing series of stories as part of our Davis Journal Water Watchers campaign)

Water is the most limited natural resource. Utah’s population is projected to double by 2065, so stretching our water supply is critical. Conservation is key to ensuring we have water now and for future generations, and Kaysville officials are reminding residents that use of water conservation practices will extend the availability of the water supply. 

During drought conditions be alert to all notices of restriction of use or limitation of service. Officials are encouraging residents to be stewards of Utah’s water by using it wisely and sharing information with others.

Kaysville City Council adopted Ordinance 9-4-17.

• Outside watering between 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. is prohibited.

• No sprinklers or automated devices are allowed between those hours. Additional restrictions may be necessary if future conditions require.

• Drinking water can NOT be connected to sprinkler systems. Violations will result in water service being shut off and/ or fines. See KCC Ordinance 9-4-15 for more info.

• Except for agricultural uses on properties zoned for agricultural use or using small quantities of water applied by hand via a hose or watering can, written permission is needed from your water provider if watering is needed between 10:00 am- 6:00 pm.

Recommended Water Saving Measures

• Turn off sprinklers during and after rainstorms. Avoid running sprinklers when it's windy as the water will evaporate. No outside watering is allowed between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

• Install water-efficient fixtures and appliances.

• Install water conservation landscaping such as xeriscape. 

• Fix broken toilets and leaky faucets promptly. Try putting food coloring in your toilet tank. If it seeps into the bowl without flushing, there's a leak.

• Take a shower rather than a bath.

• Use the garbage disposal sparingly.

• Run the washing machine and dishwasher when fully loaded.

• Shut off the water while you are rinsing dishes.

• Adjust your lawnmower to the height of 1.5 to 2 inches. Taller grass shades roots and holds soil moisture better than short grass.

• Aerate your lawn periodically. Holes every six inches will allow water to reach the roots, rather than run off the surface.

Kaysville City Water Conservation & Water Quality Efforts

Like other local and state entities, Kaysville City is concerned with balancing the demands of a water shortage with those of water quality and safe drinking standards. Each year as summer temperatures begin to increase, City staff open and flush fire hydrants in strategic locations to help increase circulation and to keep chlorine concentrations at the desired levels. On a nearly daily basis, City staff are monitoring water quality by collecting samples, and analyzing temperatures and chlorine levels, amongst other things. 

While City staff will be deploying conservation measures and decreasing water usage at many of our facilities, there are locations where operations (including irrigation) may appear contradictory to published recommendations. We wanted to point these out ahead of time to explain, as these operations are being conducted deliberately to help with water quality efforts. These operations include:

• Regular irrigation schedules at Angel Street Soccer Complex and Pioneer Park. While irrigation is being cut back significantly at most City facilities and venues, these two locations will continue irrigating on normal schedules. These parks are unique in that the Kaysville City Water Department has installed specialized protective equipment in conjunction with flow monitoring equipment to convert these parks from secondary water for irrigation to culinary water being used for irrigation. In Kaysville City, unless you have express written consent from Kaysville City, the use of drinking water in irrigation systems is strictly prohibited. These two Parks are located near some of our strategic hydrant flushing sites, and to save staff time spent opening/monitoring hydrants and to try and get beneficial use from water that would otherwise be dumped out into the street, the decision was made two years ago to make this change. 

• Seeding and irrigating the new Trappers Field South Park. While new landscaping at City facilities and venues is being delayed until next year, this new park is being planted and irrigated at the request of the Kaysville City Water Department. This location also has specialized protective equipment and flow monitoring equipment to allow staff to use culinary water to irrigate this field. While we didn’t originally intend to plant this park in 2022, this park is also located at an important strategic flushing site, and the alternative is significant staff time spent flushing hydrants and significant volumes of water dumped in the street. The watering of the three parks mentioned above are critical parts of Kaysville City water quality efforts.

• Limited operation of the Heritage Park Splash Pad. While the splash pad may not seem like a critical water quality, each year, its operation also helps with providing automated circulation of water with more beneficial use of the culinary water being discharged. At the Splash Pad, all the discharged water is recycled in the secondary irrigation system, and like the parks above, this flushing helps to reduce the amount of water needing to be discharged from fire hydrants each summer. The Splash Pad will have reduced hours and days of operations for 2022.

• Fire hydrant flushing. While we have worked on strategically converting some City facilities’ culinary irrigation, coordinating with construction crews to use flushed water and other efforts to cut down on flushing, we will always have at least periodic needs to flush fire hydrants. Aside from water quality, this helps to verify the proper function of hydrants for emergencies, but the practice will likely never be completely eliminated.

The drought conditions we are currently facing are unprecedented and will require all to work together, not just within Kaysville, but throughout the county and state. If you have questions, you can contact Kaysville Public Works at 801-544-8112.λ