MAYOR’S MESSAGE

Our mountains have seen a lot of snow and our city a lot of rain this winter. I am sure that the Virgin River will be flowing throughout spring.

We have been fortunate to receive a great snowpack in our mountains, yet despite all this moisture, we still have work to do. Our water challenges remain. After all, we live in a desert.

I discussed water extensively during our State of the City address in February. Our future as a city, as a region, is tied to our ability to secure water for our citizens. This means we need to do two things: conserve water and find new sources of water.

In 2022, the St. George City Council adopted a comprehensive water conservation ordinance that mostly affects new development. This was important. We have also shown we will walk the walk by looking closely at every possible way to conserve water in our city operations.

Here are some successes:

• In 2022, our Parks division removed more than 60,000 square feet of grass. According to the Washington County Water Conservancy District, this was like taking an eighteen-inch-wide strip and running it from St George City Hall past the Arizona border!

• Near Sunbrook Golf Club, we removed grass from the median and replaced it with plants, trees, and rocks. It’s beautiful, and we aren’t wasting water trying to irrigate those skinny strips.

• Speaking of golf, by allowing the fescue grass to grow tall, less water is required to maintain the grass. The results of our conservation efforts on golf courses saved 88.5 million gallons in 2021 and an additional 25 million gallons of water in 2022.

• Another place we removed turf was around our City Commons building. For a long time—dating back to when it was a courthouse—the grass surrounding the building had no real purpose. Now? The xeriscaping is beautiful and uses a fraction of the water.

All told, turf removal by the City resulted in 275 million gallons of water saved in 2022.

As we work to generate new sources of water, there are two projects that are going to help:

1. We are in phase two of the Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion Project. The treatment plant is where we treat our reuse water to use on outdoor landscaping for most city parks, schools, and golf courses. With the completion of this expansion project later this year, our wastewater treatment plant will increase its treatment capacity from 17 to 24 million gallons per day.

2. Graveyard Wash Reservoir on the northwest end of town is in the final stages of design. It will allow us to store treated reuse water produced at the wastewater treatment plant during the winter months when most people stop watering their lawns and use it during the summer months for outdoor irrigation. Construction of this reservoir is anticipated to begin in the fall of 2023, with an eighteenmonth construction period.

Every drop of water counts. If you are so inclined, check out the water efficient landscape rebate program at wcwcd.org.

Michele Randall, St. George City Mayor,