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Water restrictions in place

Sarah Moffitt

The Park Record

Watering restrictions are again being enforced for both commercial and residential properties in the Basin as the temperatures rise and summer begins.

Spray or stream sprinklers are only allowed to operate between 6 p.m. and 10 a.m. to reduce water loss from wind and evaporation according to Summit County Sustainability Coordinator Ashley Kohler. The water restriction code also prohibits washing driveways, sidewalks or other paved areas except for immediate safety issues.

"The restrictions have been successful in reducing superfluous watering since enacted in 2008," said Kohler. "When the code first passed limiting water, we informed the water companies and they put notices in people’s water bills to make sure everyone was aware,"

If someone notices that a residence or business appears to be watering outside the allowed time, they are encouraged to call Leslie Rushton with Summit County Code Enforcement.

"It is not common for people to violate the watering restrictions. I only had to give out two warnings last year and they were both to commercial businesses," Rushton said.

According to Rushton, a warning will be given to first-time offenders, and then they will receive a fine of $100 or more based on the number of citations. "We don’t want to just fine people, we want them to learn," said Rushton. "Often commercial businesses turn on their sprinklers and they go back to a certain default time and the owners are unaware of it."

"We are really encouraging people to use drip irrigation and less sod, that along with using sprinklers responsibly can save a lot of money," said Kohler.

In an effort to show residents what responsible landscaping looks like, the county will be redoing the landscaping around the Kamas Library with stimulus money from the federal government. Koehler said the existing sod will be replaced with native plants and a xeriscape design. A drip irrigation system will be added to save water and accommodate the drought-tolerant plants.

If there are any questions regarding watering restrictions or to report a violation residents should call Summit County Code Enforcement at (435) 615-3130.


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