OUR VIEW: Water conservation needs to start now

Poor snowfall, low precipitation and a mild winter are showing Utah State University students a drought is upon Cache Valley. This is the fourth, consecutive, dry year.

The lake at First Dam seems to become little more than a mud flat during the summer. Why? Doesn’t it seem likely that Utahns, or residents of Utah would be courteous enough to remember not to waste precious water because they know they live in a dry state?

How many times do people brush their teeth while the faucet continues to run?

During the stifling summer months, when the air is so hot it hurts, why are there countless sprinklers running at full blast, dropping fast-evaporating water onto lawns? All of that watering could be done at an hour when the grass will actually absorb the water and not lose it to the sun’s constant rays.

Is the university wasting water? Are there leaking toilets, showers, sinks or drinking fountains? If there are, contact Facilities and follow up to make sure one of the greatest research universities (USU), one of the ones working to solve the world’s problems, isn’t making things worse on the land where it resides.

If measures aren’t taken voluntarily, the city will be forced to impose taxes for excess water use. It is easy to see the day people are cited for watering their lawns during midafternoon. It’s easy to see in the not-too-distant future, because it happens in other states.

Make it easy on everyone. Turn off the water when not in use. It’s so easy, and it’s so worth it.