SALT LAKE CITY — Desperate times call for desperate measures, and that's why Utah's Department of Natural Resources has now gone to the extreme.
WATCH: Utah cities threaten fines, shutoffs for water wasters
On Friday, the DNR introduced its new "Extreme Drought Watering Guide" that focuses on survival watering during the current drought plaguing the state.
The extreme guide follows the executive order Gov. Spencer Cox announced this week in which he directed all state facilities in northern Utah to cut back their outdoor watering to twice a week, and three times a week in the southern part of the state.
DNR officials are now asking residents to follow similar guidelines for watering at their own homes: Two times a week in northern Utah and three times in southern Utah.
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According to the guide, "60% of residential water use is used for outdoor irrigation. Eliminating just one watering can save about 3,000 gallons for the average quarter-acre Utah yard with .17 acres of green space."
The Weber Basin Water Conservancy District announced their own restrictions Friday, limiting waterings to two times a week and not between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Also, any new landscape projects should be delayed.
The department says the extreme guide is temporarily taking the place of the regular weekly lawn guide.
