03-04-2025
Will the tap run dry? Most Utahns worry that will be our reality
Slightly less than half of Utahns seem to believe the state has enough water to meet our needs today, but 57% doubt that we will have enough water 20 years from now, according to a new study of Utahns' perceptions and priorities regarding water.
The study released Thursday was conducted by Envision Utah in partnership with Utah Water Ways, the Utah Division of Water Resources and the Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner.
Other key findings include:
Three out of four survey respondents were at least moderately concerned about water in Utah, and survey respondents rated water as the state's No. 2 priority behind housing/cost of living.
Utahns are fairly split on whether or not their actions can make a difference through water conservation.
Nine out of 10 respondents believe that they use less water than the average household, but 41% feel guilty for the amount of water they use on their landscaping.
Survey respondents erroneously believe that more water is used statewide on indoor uses (like showering or washing dishes) than on outdoor irrigation and landscaping, but a majority see curbing outdoor water use as the most important way to reduce water use overall.
The survey was conducted among 800 Utah residents in summer 2024. It found that Utahns seem to have a fairly sophisticated understanding of the role water plays in their quality of life — including hygiene, drinking water and food production as well as broader topics like the overall economy and outdoor recreation.
Landscaping emerged in the survey as the No. 1 way to solve the water problem.
Utah has made investments to make water-wise landscaping more attainable. More information can be found here. Some examples include savings of up to $150 to replace aging, high-water-use toilets with WaterSense-certified, water-conserving alternatives with a limit of two per household, and smart controller irrigation rebates of $100.
Regionally, 63% of the state's population is qualified to receive up to $3 per square foot of incentive when they replace existing lawns with waterwise plants and other landscaping.
Jason Brown, executive vice president of communications and education at Envision Utah, said a surprise takeaway from the survey is the worry by Utah residents that there will not be enough water to meet demand 20 years from now.
'To be honest, from a water conservation perspective, we were a little bit relieved that there's that much concern about the future because our water does sort of cycle from year to year, where one year we have a really dry year, we don't have a ton of snowpack, and then, you know, the next year we might have a lot more. It's easy to maybe get dismissive and say, 'You know what? It's going to be just fine.''
Brown said he believes those numbers represent an awakening among residents about the realities that come from living in Utah.
'I think what we see there is people recognizing that we're in a desert state and that water does seem to vary from our water levels in our communities and in the mountains and lakes and our snowpack,' he said.
'The reality is we are a desert state, and we are going to have to make some changes to how we use our water if we want to make sure that we have enough for the future. And so for people to be recognizing that this is going to be a challenge is honestly probably a good thing,' Brown said. 'It is probably a good place for us to be, living in the state that we live.'
He said the groups were also surprised to learn that most people mistakenly believe indoor water consumption outpaces the water used on landscaping.
'There seems to be a perception that, you know water waste, or the most water that's being wasted or that's used is occurring inside people's homes when the reality is that our outdoor water use is generally a lot higher than what we use and waste indoors,' Brown said.
With spring upon us, Brown reminded Utah residents that this is the perfect time for people to begin planning on changing up their landscaping preferences and taking advantage of the money that is available to help make that transition.
