CEDAR CITY — Citizens seeking water conservation tips during the hot, dry summer season can test out Cedar City Mayor Garth Green’s water-saving tuna can hack.

In response to severe drought conditions, Green took a tuna can to a June City Council meeting to teach the public a water conservation hack he learned while selling sprinkler systems. The previous week, he loaned the can to councilmember Craig Isom who tested the theory on his own lawn.

Isom said he gave his grass too much water at first but was able to make minor adjustments as needed and after approximately three days, he had a better understanding of his watering habits.

“This is a marvelous meter of water usage,” he said.

Green said that not all cans are the same size and used a larger salmon can to illustrate his point. But the primary goal is to give an average lawn 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water each week. Throughout summer, he predicted grass watered in this way would receive about 20 inches total of water.

“Which, on an entire lawn, seems like quite a bit, doesn’t it? But that’s what it takes in a desert to keep the lawns growing and they’ll look okay,” he said.

Green told the City Council he hopes the public will use conservation methods.

“We are in a drought … and we need to use every drop wisely,” he said.

Tuna can hack

Green learned the hack during his 33 years selling sprinklers at Southwest Plumbing Supply, a company he founded, he told Cedar City News, adding that he “know(s) a lot of tricks.”

The key is to place the can in the middle of the lawn where it gets evenly watered and monitor how full it is throughout the week. Green suggested watering three times a week to have a nice lawn in dry conditions but noted individuals should not water more than that.

If the can is filled to the brim before the week’s end, too much water is being used, he added.

“And if you’re watering any more than that you’re wasting water,” he said. “And if it’s not green, then you have other problems. If you’re trying to green it up without the proper amount of fertilizer, then that’s a problem.”

Additionally, Green suggested homeowners install sprinkler systems with timers, which can be programmed with an automatic, seasonally adjusted schedule to water more in summer and less in spring and fall.

“People that are dragging hoses around are wasting a huge amount of water,” he said. “They forget to turn them off.”

Green also recommended that residents begin watering in April about once a week and described a scenario to illustrate water waste. He said, as the weather warms, the grass starts to grow but dries out without water, at which point some individuals will apply fertilizer. In some cases, the plant sustains fertilizer burn, prompting the owner to water more. Through this process, the lawn is typically green by June.

To avoid similar situations, Green said people should spread fertilizer over snow in March or April, so the lawn is slowly fertilized as it melts. Once melted, citizens should begin regular watering.

“And voila, you’ll have the prettiest lawn on the street and you will really have not used any water to do it,” he said.

The Utah Department of Natural Resources releases weekly lawn watering guides, where Utahns can find customized watering recommendations for their area. The site reports that outdoor irrigation is responsible for 60% of residential water use and that eliminating a single watering of an average-sized yard can conserve approximately 3,000 gallons of water.

“Please look for ways to water efficiently and slow the flow,” the site states.

Water rates and schedule

In April, the Cedar City Council approved a voluntary water restriction schedule to conserve the resource and allow the city’s water infrastructure to recover. The city asked that residents with even-numbered addresses water Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays, and those with odd-numbered addresses water Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. No watering should take place on Sundays.

The request was in addition to mandatory restrictions limiting culinary water use to before 8 a.m. and after 6 p.m until Oct. 31, according to City Ordinance 37-71.

“Our community is known for coming together when times are tough,” Cedar City Water Division Superintendent Robbie Mitchell said in a press release issued in May.

The city implemented a marginal rate increase for industrial and residential culinary water users, beginning last Friday, the release states. The new system utilizes tiered rates intended to encourage water conservation while rewarding citizens who use less water with a lower monthly bill.

Residents can expect to see their rates gradually increase from now until 2025, Green wrote in his July newsletter. The rate increase is the first in about 10 years due to the city’s effort to keep “costs low while maintaining a high-quality water service.”

However, with a decreased groundwater supply and increased prices, higher rates were necessary to maintain city infrastructure and conserve water, Green said, noting that the base fee will not increase, but some customers will see higher costs based on their water usage.

The newsletter states that citizens can call Central Iron County Water Conservancy District and the Utah State University Extension Service in Iron County to schedule a free water check to evaluate the efficiency of their irrigation systems.

Visit the city’s website to learn more about the voluntary water schedule and marginal rate increase.

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