LETTER: Irrigation needs thought
Editor,
Today, while walking to my office in the rain, I noticed that sprinklers were going full blast. The soil was so saturated with water that the grass was ponded over with at least a centimeter of water. This is only a sample of a continued pattern of irresponsible actions. I’ve seen them irrigate the University Inn parking lot asphalt (and to a much lesser extent, the trees) and the concrete surfaces by the various buildings. It seems that these people believe the more water you apply at once, the healthier the grass, asphalt and concrete will be, ignoring the fact that over-watering can wash nutrients from the soil and damage the roots and pavement.
Furthermore, from what a few professors in my department tell me, USU insists on planting large amounts of Kentucky Bluegrass, which is not climatically suited for Utah’s dry climate, as it requires much more water than other types of suitable vegetation.
There are commercially available systems that will irrigate according to actual need, make decisions based upon weather forecasts and will not irrigate when there is rain. The technology is there; in fact, some of our departments develop and test those technologies.
The actions at USU indicate that whoever is responsible for planning the irrigation, lawns and gardens at USU is incompetent and ignorant of current research being conducted in this university and elsewhere. In fact, I have received evidence that they’ve been quite resistant to suggestions made by the faculty members at USU who specialize in these areas of knowledge. USU has at least four academic departments that specialize in water resources and conservation, and the USU Facilities should be listening to them. The university needs to be setting an example for the public, and using the wrong type of grass and poor irrigation methods doesn’t help it fulfill that purpose. If the current personnel cannot competently manage these, then the responsibility should be moved to another structure. There are competent people even on this campus who have much better ideas. Furthermore, it will open opportunities for education of students and help us conserve water.
Guy Serbin