Environmental Issues

Water management and conservation is vital for our future as water is a scarce natural resource. As the Division of Water Resources of Sandy City says, we should use water judiciously to save for our tomorrow, to protect the environment and also to save money on water bills (Water Agency Resources, n.d.).

The Council of Sandy City has taken various initiatives to motivate its residents to conserve water and reduce its wastage. Some of these steps include encouraging water efficient landscaping, passing water ordinances, maintaining a website offering water conservation tips to the residents.

The Council of Sandy City passed two water ordinances in 2008 to promote efficient use of water in the city. These are Time of Day ordinance and Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance. Time of Day ordinance allows the use of sprinklers for the irrigation of landscapes only after 6 p.m. and before 10 a.m. Cooler time of the day is best for irrigation, since it prevents water loss due to evaporation and winds. However this ordinance does not restrict hand watering of plants. The second ordinance, Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, was passed to make sure that every new landscape should be water efficient. This ordinance also applies to reconstructed landscapes but not to single family homes (Sandy City Water Ordinances, 2008).

Residents can take tips for efficient water consumption from Sandy City website. The website offers tips for saving water, both indoors and outdoors. Some of the most important guidelines published by Sandy City Department of Public Utilities include using low flow dishwashers, clothes washers, shower heads and toilets. This measure can save gallons of water used for daily chores. Other tips include preventing leakage of water in toilets and kitchen and bathroom faucets, not using running water for washing fruits and vegetables and defrosting. People can use low-water plants in the house and garden to cut irrigation of gardens. Get rid of weeds and use good quality soil that can hold water for long (Sandy City Water Conservation, n.d.)
 
Sandy City promotes the use of low water plants and demonstrates the same in its famous water efficient landscape, the Sego Lily Gardens. These gardens house numerous low water plants and different irrigation systems that save water. People can have a look at these plants and plant them in their homes to save water used for watering the plants (Sandy City Sego Lily Gardens  Water Wise Landscapes, 2009).

Water Supply is dipping day by day while demand in increasing exponentially. It is now time to act and save this precious gift of nature vital for our existence. Residents must cooperate with the government and help protect the environment.