Water Conservation, Utah Exec. Order No. 2015-4

This document was published in the July 1, 2015, issue (Vol. 2015, No. 13) of the Utah State Bulletin.

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Governor, Administration: Water Conservation, Utah Exec. Order No. 2015-4

Issued: June 3, 2015

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EXECUTIVE ORDER

Water Conservation

WHEREAS, water is a precious resource critical to our economy, environment and quality of life that should be managed and used wisely;

WHEREAS, Utah's continued population growth and periodic years of drought put increasing pressure on Utah’s limited water and financial resources;

WHEREAS, every Utah citizen must adopt long-term water conservation practices not limited to periods of drought;

WHEREAS, the Governor’s Water Strategy Advisory Team is developing a 50-Year Water Strategy for Utah to advance conservation and conservation practices;

WHEREAS, the Division of Facilities Construction and Management, in cooperation with the Utah Division of Water Resources, has developed and implemented water conservation landscape design criteria for capital improvements and new state facilities and has implemented new and retrofit existing landscapes with the best available water conservation technology, landscape design standards, and efficient operation standards, including rain-detecting watering systems, low-flow plumbing fixtures, optimal watering hours, and bottle filling water fountains; and

WHEREAS, water conservation is an essential part of meeting the state’s growing water needs and can save significant financial and natural resources;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gary R. Herbert, Governor of the State of Utah, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the State, do hereby order the following:

1. (a) The Division of Facilities Construction and Management shall assist agencies at all state owned and managed buildings to:

i. Prohibit watering of landscapes between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

ii. Update irrigation technology to control watering relative to the amount of rainfall reaching the landscape.

iii. Replace inefficient plumbing fixtures with ultra low-flow fixtures, as replacement is appropriate.

iv. Audit and repair all landscape irrigation systems so they are operating at an acceptable efficiency.

v. Implement leak-detection and repair programs for both indoor and outdoor water use.

vi. Conduct periodic checks of facility restrooms, boiler rooms, etc., to ensure appliances are working at maximum efficiency.

vii. Evaluate opportunities to limit turf areas surrounding facilities.

viii. Update facility-management technology to include metering for water-consuming processes related to irrigation, domestic, and mechanical systems.

ix. Use a water budgeting tool to consistently evaluate and establish an appropriate water allowance for the facility landscape.

x. Where appropriate, follow the conservewater.utah.gov weekly lawn watering guide.

(b) The above policies shall be followed as agency budgets, facilities, and resources permit. Where current resources do not allow compliance with the above orders, compliance should be implemented to the extent possible within existing resources and as equipment and products are replaced.

2. State agencies shall purchase indoor plumbing and irrigation products with water conservation technology whenever practicable.

3. The Division of Purchasing and General Services shall include water conservation standards in solicitations for contracts whenever practicable.

4. The Division of Facilities Construction Management shall include water conservation and efficiency measures in the selection criteria for leased spaces.

5. The Division of Facilities Construction and Management shall develop water conservation strategies for all state-owned and managed buildings, facilities, grounds, parks and other properties under their control. Each state facility manager shall implement those plans in the facilities and on the grounds for which the manager is responsible.

6. State employees shall read and follow the guidance from the Division of Water Resources' "Slow the Flow" campaign and the water conservation website, www.conservewater.utah.gov, in and around the workplace. The Division shall make this information easily accessible to state employees and the public.

7. The Division of Facilities Construction and Management, in cooperation with the Utah Division of Water Resources, shall develop a water conservation operation and maintenance best practices guide to provide state facility managers and building engineers with current and practical information on no-cost and low-cost measures to reduce water use in state facilities.

8. The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget shall conduct a study of various pricing and funding models to determine the long term impact of water usage models and their impact on the need for future infrastructure and develop recommendations for long-term water financing.

9. For the short and long-term benefit of the state, all Utah citizens, cities, towns, schools, businesses and government agencies, should adopt the water conservation practices outlined in conservewater.utah.gov and this Order.

10. This Order supersedes Executive Order 2004/0003, issued April 23, 2004.

IN WITNESS, WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Utah. Done at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City, Utah, on this, the 3rd day of June 2015.

(State Seal)

Gary R. Herbert
Governor

ATTEST:

Spencer J. Cox
Lieutenant Governor

2015/004/EO