USU water auditor makes every drop count by counting every drop

By KEVIN SCANNELL Sun Advocate reporter

As the blue catch cups sit on the green and yellowed spotted yard of an apartment complex in Price, James Utley is carefully watching over things in the background.

As the sprinkler system turns off, Utley, a USU Logan student originally from Price, begins the walk along the yard, carefully checking each catch cup noting the water measurements along the way.

On a clipboard he carries on the walk, he marks down measurements noting the differences between the water's reach on the yard in each zone.

It sounds like a lot of work, but its benefits of improving and creating more efficient water systems for yards is the hope for the USU Extension Office as well as Price City.

"By doing a water audit we can help a homeowner to efficiently water their lawns while learning tips to conserve water and building better root structures in the ground for healthier lawns," said Utley, a Biology major. Since late May, Utley has been performing water audits on the yards of homeowners in the area as well as places including Washington Park for Price City and areas owned by Carbon County.

The work is made possible with the help of a grant and Price City helps chip in a small stipend for gas throughout the summer for Utley to travel around the area performing free water audits.

By having a water audit performed on a yard, Utley said it can help with showing how well a sprinkler system works in covering a yard during a water cycle.

"Some people may be guessing of how much to water their yards and for how long to do it," said Utley. "They might be shooting in the dark."

While at the apartment complex along Eastridge Road in Price on Monday morning, Utley noted some of the positives and faults of the system. An automated sprinkler based system can help with watering on a regular schedule in the early morning hours. But while it may be automated, Utley said homeowners need to regularly check and maintain their systems every few weeks to insure that the systems are adequately covering the entire lawn during a cycle.

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USU water auditor makes every drop count by counting every drop