Although your article concerning water use in Utah [Green Guide, April 17, City Weekly] spoke of the huge amounts we use per capita as opposed to other states, it didn’t offer any details on what the average person can do to reduce their overall usage.

Reducing lawn watering to produce “green” lawns vs. “lush” lawns is a major step, but small changes such as turning off the water while brushing your teeth adds up to hundreds of gallons per person, per year.

In addition, the use of rain barrels that collect water from rain gutters (200 gallons per household is now permitted in Utah) can help a great deal, considering how much tap water we pour on our planter boxes, flower urns and gardens. And those flowers grow much bigger, and produce larger blooms, when fed rainwater versus tap.

Chris Owens
Sandy