St. George wins statewide ‘H2Oath’ water conservation contest

Composite image, St. George News

ST. GEORGE – The City of St. George earned a $5,000 water conservation grant as the winner of a statewide campaign that encourages residents to conserve water.

L-R: Washington County Water Conservancy District General Manager Ron Thompson, St. George Mayor Jon Pike and Eric Millis, director of the Utah Division of Water Resources, Oct. 20, 2016 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Water Conservancy District, St. George News
L-R: Washington County Water Conservancy District General Manager Ron Thompson, St. George Mayor Jon Pike and Eric Millis, director of the Utah Division of Water Resources, Oct. 20, 2016 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Water Conservancy District, St. George News

The 2016 H2Oath Thirst Games competition was sponsored by the Utah Division of Water Resources and asked residents to pledge to follow several conservation measures. Those included following the state’s weekly irrigation guide, running washing machines and dishwashers only when full, taking shorter showers and much more. See below for a full list.

St. George won in Category 2, which includes cities with 65,000-99,999 residents.

St. George Mayor Jon Pike received a $5,000 check from Eric Millis, director of the Utah Division of Water Resources, at a check presentation Thursday.  

“We are excited and honored to receive this award,” St. George Mayor Jon Pike said, adding that the money will be used to further conservation within the city.

“We know the focus on water has got to be on conservation and making sure we maintain and find our new sources of water as we need them,” Pike said, “and of course maintain and replace the equipment and facilities that we have.”

Pike was happy to see how many residents signed the pledge; his family signed the pledge and is practicing water conservation, he said.

“We know we live in a desert so we need to do these things.”

St. George residents signed more than 10 percent of the total water conservation pledges in Utah, securing more signatures than cities with larger populations, Washington County Water Conservancy District spokeswoman Karry Rathje said.

“We love that our residents understand the value of conservation and are willing to take a pledge to use water more efficiently. ”

The pledge

The H2Oath follows the recommendations of the “Slow the Flow” campaign and 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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4 Comments

  • .... October 22, 2016 at 8:30 pm

    Yes we do live in a wonderful community and we have very dedicated and responsible and caring city leaders that are concerned about the needs of the people in the community. we are so blessed to have the city leaders we do. Praise the Lord. ! Job well done

  • Ron October 23, 2016 at 10:15 am

    Hahaha….water conservation efforts???
    This is a joke, right?

    • .... October 23, 2016 at 4:26 pm

      No this is not a joke. but as soon as Bob gets here it will be a joke

    • DB October 23, 2016 at 4:45 pm

      I’m with Ron. On my morning walks, I see plenty of water in the gutters flowing to the river. I guess Vegas or L.A. will use our waste eventually, once it’s in Lake Mead. P.S. Lawns don’t have to be watered every day in late October…

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