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Syracuse hosts meeting to discuss secondary water restrictions as demand outpaces supply

Posted at 9:37 PM, Jul 22, 2015
and last updated 2015-07-22 23:37:20-04

SYRACUSE, Utah -- The supply is outweighing the demand when it comes to secondary water in the city of Syracuse, and the city held a special meeting Wednesday to discuss possible water restrictions for its residents.

"I think Utah is the second driest state in the nation, we landscape like we are the second wettest," resident Jim Bishop said.

Residents are upset with their neighbors for watering their lawns every day, when the city recommends homeowners should only be watering twice a week.

"You got some pretty expensive homes in this area, and they don't want dead looking lawns so they are doing whatever they got to do to keep the lawns green," resident Chad Scholer said.

The city says you only need to water twice a week to keep your yard looking healthy.

"Weber Basin has done studies that if you follow that schedule, your lawn can do well and stay green throughout the summer," City Manager Brody Bovero said.

The city says by not following their recommendations, water pressure is affected in certain neighborhoods.

"When more water is coming out of the tank than we can put into the tank, the pressure isn't there," Bovero said. "Everybody pays the same rate, so everybody expects the same service, and when areas of the city don't get that service it's just not fair."

Bishop asked the city to grade their residents when it comes to water conservation.

"They said not very good, and we didn't get a letter grade like you do in school but not very good I would say D-plus, C-minus, so I think they need to put some teeth into the ordinance, I think they need to go around with their code enforcement guys," he said.

Bovero said it's possible that city council will be looking into placing official water restrictions and enforcing those restrictions with fines.