Vote now; St. George leading H2Oath ‘Thirst Games’

Composite image, stock photo and images by chargerv8 and 123dartist/Getty Images, St. George News

ST. GEORGE – The City of St. George is leading the state in a contest that encourages Utahns to conserve water; Washington County residents are encouraged to join in.

St. George is leading the state in a water conservation pledge contest | Image courtesy of Washington County Water Conservancy District, St. George News | Click image to enlarge
St. George is leading the state in a water conservation pledge contest | Image courtesy of Washington County Water Conservancy District, St. George News | Click image to enlarge

The H2Oath Thirst Games are a statewide competition to see which cities in Utah have the biggest percentage of residents participating in the H2Oath program which encourages water conservation.

“We’re thrilled to see St. George leading its category in the H2Oath Thirst Games,” Karry Rathje, Conservancy District spokesperson, said.

“We’re the city’s biggest cheerleaders right now. The city has done so much to promote and achieve water conservation that taking the H2Oath prize would be a well-deserved recognition.”

St. George has 35 percent of residents taking the H2Oath, followed closely by Ogden’s 30 percent in Category 2 which includes cities with 65,000-99,999 residents.

The winning city in each population category will be awarded a $5,000 water conservation grant.

“Although St. George is currently in the lead, a lot can change in the final two weeks of the competition. Ogden is right on St. George’s heels,” Rathje said. “We need more people to sign the H2Oath – we want to win.” 

The H2Oath

 Residents can take the oath online; the competition runs from Aug. 15 through Sept. 15. The H2Oath follows the recommendations of the “Slow the Flow” campaign and completing the oath shows a willingness to participate in several different conservation measures.

Image courtesy of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, St. George News
Image courtesy of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, St. George News | Click to enlarge

The H2Oath pledge includes following the irrigation guide the state publishes weekly, running washing machines and dishwashers only when full, taking shorter showers and much more.

“The little things make a big difference, and so we’re just trying to adopt some of those and encourage our residents and business and home owners to incorporate those practices,” Rathje said in an earlier interview.

“We find that Utah residents – if they say they’re going to do something, they do it,” Rathje said, “and so we think this pledge campaign will be an opportunity for them to make that pledge and start incorporating those changes.”

According to the Utah Division of Water Resources, conservation measures are needed throughout the state. Utah has been experiencing long-term drought conditions for the past several years, and Utah’s population is projected to more than double by 2060, so meeting future needs will require additional conservation.

“We encourage all our residents to sign the H2Oath pledge – not only is it the right thing to do, but it increases your city’s chance of winning a $5,000 water conservation grant,” Rathje said.  

The pledge

The H2Oath recommends the following practices:

  • I will water my landscape no more than is recommended by the Weekly Lawn Watering Guide found on SlowTheFlow.org, and posted weekly on the Utah Division of Water Resources Facebook page and Twitter account. (If everyone does it, it will save Utah billions of gallons.)
  • I will not water my landscape at the hottest time of the day.
  • I will not water during or directly after a rainstorm.
  • I will adjust my sprinklers to avoid spraying sidewalks and driveways.
  • I will adjust my lawn mower to one of the higher settings to help shade roots and reduce the need for water.
  • I will look for opportunities to add water-wise plants to my landscape.
  • I will identify and fix leaks both inside and outside of my home.
  • I will reduce my shower time by at least 1 minute per shower.
  • I will wait until I have a full load to run my dishwasher or washing machine.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2016, all rights reserved.

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