‘We all play a part’: LDS church announces water conservation measures

ST. GEORGE — Those green lawns that surround chapels of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may begin to go brown or be replaced with more desert-friendly landscaping in the future following water conservation measures announced Wednesday by the Utah-based faith.

In this file photo, a sprinkler waters grass in Sandy, Utah, May 31, 2022 | Photo by Chuck Wing/The Deseret News via AP, St. George News

“In all regions and circumstances, we teach that we have a responsibility to care for and gratefully use what God has given, avoid wasting resources and wisely use the bounty of the earth to care for one another,” the church announced in a press release.

“Much of the American West is experiencing serious drought. In this area of the United States, the Church is working to reduce water use in all our buildings and facilities, including exterior landscaping.”

Conservation efforts include the expansion of smart controllers, hydrometers, rain sensors, drip and irrigation. The church also is using secondary water systems for its outdoor watering needs.

The church noted it has installed water-wise irrigation and low-flow systems in buildings built since the early 2000s and is also updating older buildings.

Local water restrictions also are being adopted by the church. The Washington County Water District typically issues time-of-day water restrictions while the municipalities issue their own. These daytime watering bans generally run 8 a.m.-8 p.m. during the summer with some slight variance from city to city.

The overall watering of church properties also is being reduced. Water recommendations for Washington County and the state come from the Utah Department of Natural Resources, which updates these recommendations weekly and can be found on the agency’s website.

In this file photo, a walkway and additional landscaping being added to the St. George Temple site as a part of its renovation, St. George, Utah, 2022 | Photo courtesy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, St. George News

Landscaping will be permitted to go brown in some cases while watering at historic church sites has been reduced by one-third, according to the church’s press release.

Plans also are underway to identify landscape changes that will help permanently reduce water use.

This already is being done as a part of the renovation of the St. George Utah Temple as “drought-tolerant shrubbery and trees are being used for the landscaping. In addition, a smart weather irrigation system is being installed that will be programmed to sense the optimum time to water the vegetation,” said the church, which is the latest organization to announce water conservation efforts which are already being explored and adopted on the local level.

County and municipal governments have been working with the water district to produce near-universal, countywide conservation measures since a water conservation summit held last fall.

Last summer, St. George Mayor Michele Randall called on local churches to ditch their lush green lawns due to their lack of use and need, as reported by Fox 13 News. Randall also has said that if the only time a lawn is walked on is when it gets mowed, then it needs to go.

“We all play a part in preserving the critical resources needed to sustain life — especially water — and we invite others to join us in reducing water use wherever possible,” the church stated. “We gladly join with friends of other faiths in prayer to our Heavenly Father for rain and respite from the devastating drought.”

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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