CEDAR HILLS, Utah -- Since the city does not meter secondary water, city officials say education is key to dropping over 3 million gallons of water use a day.
"Here in Cedar Hills we’ve noticed that our water consumption is about double what the state recommended guidelines say it should be,” said David Bunker, Cedar Hills City Manager and City Engineer.
The biggest problem is lack of awareness, said Richard Noble, chairman of Cedar Hills Water Conservation Committee.
That's why the city created the water-ometer.
"Basically it’s a speedometer type style gauge and the water-ometer compares how much we do use to how much we should use weekly," Bunker said.
There are several of the meters all around Cedar Hills and the city hopes that when people drive by and see them, they'll evaluate how much they're watering their own lawn.
"We want to see a reduction in the water use to get more in line with what the state recommends. Water is a scarce commodity and a precious commodity and we want to do our part to be responsible," Noble said.
The city is also posting weekly tips online on how to conserve water. The goal is not only to get water usage down now but also in the future.
"We are going to have some growth around the Wasatch front, another million people in this area. How are we going to get water to those people?" Bunker said.
And some residents agree, lawns in Cedar Hills are getting more water than necessary.
"I do a lot of walking at evening and at night and sometimes it rains and the sprinklers are still on and it amazes me that they don’t take the time to turn the sprinklers off," Said Cedar Hills resident Jimmy Chapman.
And if the numbers don't start to drop the city will consider changing from overall metering for the city, to meters for individual homes, which could cost the city an estimated $2 million.
"This issue is not unique to Cedar Hills I think most of the communities that have pressurized irrigation systems that are metered and they’re all along the Wasatch Front," Noble said.
