Editor:
There is a problem here at the U affecting us all, and it is growing right under our noses.
Grass cultivation has gotten out of hand. This is not the kind of grass that is usually associated with wild college parties or hippies cruising in their Volkswagen buses, but the grass that decorates the U’s landscaping and devours vast amounts of precious water.
This grass “cultivation” at the university, and throughout the valley, is a contributing factor in the water shortage that we are now experiencing.
Grass does provide appealing scenery for students, faculty and visitors, but at a costly expense of using large amounts of our already over taxed water supply.
The lawns around campus may be good studying and rest areas but are rarely used to an extent that justifies the use of approximately 265 million gallons of water per year.
Ripping out all the grass may satisfy the true “eco-nazi” and save a plethora of water, but that would make for a pretty dreary campus. This is where xeriscaping comes into play.
“What is xeriscaping?” you ask. It is landscaping that can save vast amounts of water, reduce fertilizer and pesticide use and improved landscape maintenance while maintaining a visually pleasant appeal.
It is a landscape that consists of trees, shrubs, perennials and grasses.
Using native plants is common in xeriscaping, since these plants are already preconditioned to survive the local environment. Xeriscaping involves a few simple guidelines.
With the right selection of design, plants, mulch, soil maintenance, irrigation and appropriate usage of turf, we can efficiently incorporate water conservation.
One key principal to effectively incorporating xeriscaping, as mentioned before, is plant design.
By simply grouping plants together that need the same amount of water, we can water them only when needed. By doing this we do not over water them because they are in the same bed as other plants that require more water.
When plants are grouped together this way it allows the installation of a drip irrigation systems, which have proven to save more than 60 percent of wasted water.
A trip through Red Butte Garden just south of campus will help you realize that xeriscaping is beautiful and lush, more so than a patch of grass.
This is all fine and dandy, but why should the university start incorporating xeriscaping around campus?
Xeriscaping can reduce water used for landscaping by 50 to 80 percent. This reduction of water usage can be astonishing when one considers the amount of water the U uses?about 265 million gallons per year on landscaping at a cost of $304,935.
Cut that figure in half, and you have a savings of 132.5 million gallons and $150,000.
The second and best reason for xeriscaping on campus is the drought that Utah is experiencing.
Yes, in case you weren’t aware, we are in a drought situation. With the snow-pack level of the last three years below average and the growth and continued water consumption of the valley, reservoirs and rivers are sinking to their lowest levels in years.
Utah is the second driest state in the nation. About 91 percent of our precipitation is returned to the atmosphere through evaporation each year. Further adding to this problem is the fact that Utahns are also second in water consumption.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, each Utahn consumes about 308 gallons of water per day; the national average is 183 gallons per day.
The need for people to conserve water is crucial. Specifically, the U has the responsibility to play an active role in the community by reducing its own water consumption.
Xeriscaping is not just some neo-hippie movement that has caught the attention of the “environmentally hip,” but rather a valid and important way in which universities, corporations and individuals can help reduce water-waste.
Many universities are realizing their leadership roles in the community and are incorporating xeriscaping. Universities such as Southern Utah University, Northern Colorado University, Arizona State University, University of Arizona and South Florida University are realizing that water saving landscaping can still provide a lush and attractive campus while reducing consumption.
The U, as an institution of higher learning, is considered to be a place of forward thinking, innovation, creativity and leadership.
It is time that the U’s administration takes these qualities that they hope to instill in their student and put them to practice when it comes to the environmental needs of this community. I, along with other students, propose that the U start integrating xeriscaping into their expansion plans, as well as existing areas?leaving only beneficial turf-grass areas like around the union, the recreational fields and other studying or play areas.
Environmental and community advantages will be accompanied by a benefit that the administration may understand better?financial gains.
Replacing 200 of the 400 acres of grass will also save endless hours of mowing, pounds of fertilizer and approximately $20,000 of maintenance per year, on top of the $150,000 saved by reduced water consumption.
Surely the administration can spend $170,000 per year on something more useful to the students and community than grass.
Water conservation has been ignored too long. Serious efforts to conserve water must begin now.
David Ovard, general manager of the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District, said, “Actually, Salt Lake County will be out of water within eight years without another major project.”
It is necessary for the U to decide today what measures it will take in order to ensure that enough water is available for tomorrow. Waiting for the rain or snow to fall is not a solution to Utah’s growing water problem. Landscaping with water friendly plants, reducing water waste and educating people about water-saving practices that everyone can use are the keys to a water-filled future.
Through the use of native plants and xeriscaping, the U can be a leader in changing how we use our ever more precious water.
I urge you take an active role in persuading the U to integrate xeriscaping on campus.
This doesn’t mean you have to picket the administration offices or incorporate life altering hippie values. You can simply spread this information around campus, let the administration know how you feel about the water wasting practices they are supporting and, if so inclined, join the campus environmental group.
Water conservation can gain the attention and power that it needs to make a change.
Who knows, it may become as hot a topic as the parking issue ?well, it’s wishful thinking anyway.
Kristopher Willett , Sophomore, Business