Waterwise landscaping and Localscapes

Localscapes grew out of work at the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District in northern Utah. Outreach coordinator Cynthia Bee has said the turning point was a 2014 focus group: homeowners were changing their yards, but not toward water-efficient designs, because they saw conservation as a sacrifice. The team reframed the pitch around curb appeal and lower maintenance, with the water savings as a result.^[1]

In northern Utah a yard qualifies with up to 35 percent lawn in the front and up to 35 percent in the back, laid out as a single central open shape. Southern Utah has its own criteria.^[1] The program starts with Flip Your Strip, which targets the park strip between the sidewalk and street.^[1] The Weber Basin district describes the aim as a landscape that works for Utah and keeps lawn as a deliberate, designed area, not the default.^[2]

The Weber Basin district also warns that narrow strips of grass with heavy foot traffic are hard to keep healthy and irrigate efficiently, and suggests letting the sprinkler system dictate the lawn's shape.^[2]

The Plant Select account says homeowners who cut non-functional lawn, water more efficiently and use waterwise plants could reduce their water use by 50 percent or more.^[1] That is a district estimate, not a measured statewide total. The Division of Water Resources notes that waterwise landscaping can save water and money while still looking good, and it links to Localscapes and Slow the Flow as the starting points.^[3]