Even with epic snowfall, keeping outdoor water use low is more important than ever. Due to the ongoing drought, turf removal and flipping park strips has been a topic of conversation at all levels of government (specifically in the past couple of years). Weber Basin Water Conservancy District (WBWCD) and the State of Utah have allocated funding to reimburse property owners for removing grass and replacing it with water-wise landscaping. 

On May 4, 2023, the Kaysville City Council approved an ordinance which allows Kaysville residents to be able to participate in the “Landscape Lawn Exchange” program with WBWCD. This was previously known as the “Flip your Strip” program. Under this lawn replacement program, lawn areas anywhere in your yard can be removed and replaced with low-water landscaping to qualify for an incentive. This is not a rebate program, but rather an incentive to assist you in the cost of relandscaping to be more water efficient.

For Kaysville’s residents to be eligible for reimbursement programs, there was the need to adopt a landscaping ordinance with WBWCD’s minimum requirements. The requirements they pushed in past years have been softened, so the ordinance recently considered by the City Council was much less onerous than what had been previously discussed last year, including: removing the requirement of a licensed professional to design landscaping and to submit a landscape plan.

At this same time last year, only four cities had adopted qualifying ordinances. Since that time, a total of 18 cities have adopted qualifying ordinances. Community Development Director Melinda Greenwood explained that last year, staff received countless phone calls, emails and in-person questions and complaints about Kaysville’s ineligibility for reimbursement programs. Kaysville has the desire to support the residents who are interested in reimbursement programs by adopting required regulations. The ordinance and requirements are such that staff feel comfortable managing the impacts of adoption. 

Greenwood said WBWCD has indicated the Flip your Strip Program will be open throughout the end of this year. She said it would be the end of 2024 that WBWCD would bring out broader programs in conjunction with the State of Utah. She indicated that WBWCD had processed approximately 700 reimbursement applications for this program and had about that many more in the queue, with payments being made of over $500,000. They hope that everyone who had a desire to participate in these programs would have the opportunity for assistance.

The City Council debated pros and cons of the program and whether the potential for a median range of $500 reimbursement was worth the up-front expenditures and adherence to requirements. 

Staff confirmed with WBWCD that this simplified version of the ordinance will meet both State and WBWCD requirements for Kaysville residents to be eligible for reimbursement for turf removal programs. Greenwood said the Flip your Strip program would not be retroactively applied to properties that had already removed grass from their park strip. The ordinance has also been changed to state that smart irrigation controllers shall be installed. This is above and beyond what the State and WBWCD would require, but the benefits of a smart controller outweigh the marginal cost difference between a regular controller and a smart controller. 

According to the Utah State University Center for Water-Efficient Landscaping, a water-wise landscape is one that is functional, attractive, and easily maintained in its natural surroundings. It also helps to conserve water. In Utah, approximately 65% of our annual culinary water consumption is applied to landscapes. Irrigated landscapes provide many benefits that include beautiful surroundings, natural cooling, and the cleansing of our environment. However, Utah landscapes are often over-irrigated, and a great deal of water conservation may be achieved by keeping a few water-wise landscaping principles in mind as we design, install, and manage our landscapes.

Conserving water in the landscape can be accomplished by selecting low water use plants, designing, and scheduling irrigation systems efficiently, grouping plants according to their water requirements, and using hardscaping materials (patios, stone, paths, decks, etc.) appropriately to reduce the area requiring irrigation. 

Program participants will apply for the program using the Utah Water Savers Website (www.utahsavers.com). The application must be completed in full. WBWCD staff will review applications as they come in to approve participation in the program. Application must be approved before removing the lawn and starting the program. 

For more information about the program, and to review the process and requirements, visit: https://weberbasin.com/Conservation/Rebates.

To view a weekly lawn watering guide, please visit: https://conservewater.utah.gov/weekly-lawn-watering-guide/

For additional waterwise landscaping tips visit:  https://extension.usu.edu/cwel/principles