Lehi City News
Lehi City: Don’t turn on sprinklers until May 1, enacts Tier III watering restrictions
Lehi has placed the City under Phase III water restrictions to begin the irrigation season this year. The City started at Phase II in 2021 and ended the year in Phase III.
According to the City, “The Lehi City Water Shortage Management Plan is intended to protect and preserve public health, welfare, and safety in the event of a water shortage. This plan augments and supports the Lehi City Water Conservation Plan and other relevant city ordinances. It is important for any Lehi water user (municipal, commercial, and residential) to understand how to appropriately respond to a water shortage.”
The Lehi City Water Division regularly monitors the level of city water sources. At the beginning of each month during the peak water usage season (June, July, August, and September), the Lehi City Water Division will use data collected internally, as well as data provided from external sources like the Provo River Water Users Association, to determine the drought conditions in Lehi City.
Based on the level of water, the Water Division will determine which water shortage
phase will be implemented for that month. The level and severity of water shortage has been categorized into three phases according to the level of water available. Each phase is labeled with a color to better illustrate when a respective phase is in effect. The three phases with their respective color are:
Phase I: Normal Water Condition (Green)
Phase II: Moderate Water Shortage (Yellow)
Phase III: Severe Water Shortage (Red)
The Phase III water restrictions include the following restriction: “Water users may not water more than two days a week. There must be at least two days in between watering cycles. No hard-surface washing, except for health or safety reasons.”
Enforcement and fines related to the current watering restrictions will take a tiered approach, and follow the cadence below:
First Violation: Hand-delivered written notice of violation and instructions on necessary corrective action.
Second Violation: $100 fine and a warning of actions consequent to a third violation. The violator may receive full reimbursement of the fine by attending a water conservation seminar
provided by Lehi City.
Third Violation: $500 fine.
Exceptions are made for new lawns requiring frequent irrigation within 30 days for establishment purposes. Exceptions are also made for short cycles required for testing, inspecting, and maintaining irrigation systems.
The City plan outlines an educational campaign through the City website, social media, direct email, city newsletter, city marquees and direct mail.
