Weber County Mulls New Landscaping Guidelines As Part Of Water Conservation Efforts
Tim Vandenack, Standard-Examiner
The park strip area in front of the home of Washington Terrace Mayor Mark Allen, photographed Tuesday, July 12, 2022. He converted the area from grass to rocks, tapping into the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District's Flip Your Strip program, meant to help reduce the amount of water used for lawn irrigation.OGDEN — Weber County officials are considering new landscaping guidelines for future development, letting homeowners in unincorporated areas take part in programs paying them to remove grass.
The overarching aim of the proposed changes is to curtail water use, and Steven Burton, a planner in the Weber County Planning Division, foresees "pretty significant" savings if the initiatives get the green light. Still, debate continues, with mixed support for the shift so far.
Residents in numerous cities in Weber and Davis counties can already take part in the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District's Flip Your Strip and Landscape Lawn Exchange programs. Now plans are in the works that would let residents in western Weber County and the Ogden Valley take part as well.
The Western Weber Planning Commission on Tuesday recommended approval of new, more rigorous landscaping regulations for new developments, a step forward in the process. But members of the Ogden Valley Planning Commission, though they have yet to make a formal recommendation, have expressed reticence.
"Across the board, they were very much opposed to this," Burton told the Western Weber Planning Commission members at the body's meeting on Tuesday.
Ogden Valley Planning Commission officials like the Flip Your Strip and Landscape Lawn Exchange programs, explained Charlie Ewert, the principal planner in the planning division. They just don't like having to change landscaping regulations per Weber Basin Water Conservancy District dictates before property owners can tap into them.
"They like the incentive programs. They don't like the mandatory requirement," Ewert said. The Ogden Valley Planning Commission is to formally debate the issue on Tuesday, July 18.
The Western Weber Planning Commission oversees planning issues in unincorporated areas of Weber County along the Wasatch Front and areas further west. The Ogden Valley Planning Commission oversees planning issues in unincorporated areas of Weber County along the Wasatch Front and areas further east. However, Weber County commissioners have final say on planning issues, generally speaking, factoring recommendations from the two bodies.
Burton said county commissioners sought consideration of the change needed to tap into the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District programs owing to clamoring from the public. "We want it to be water-wise landscaping," Burton said.
As originally set out, the guidelines for the two planning areas, applicable to just new development, would limit the portion of yards that can contain irrigated turf grass to no more than 35% of the total front and side yard. Moreover, no more than 3,000 square feet of a lot, including the backyard area, could contain grass.
In new commercial, industrial, institutional and multi-family residential developments, no more than 15% of the landscaped area could have grass.
On Tuesday, the Western Weber Planning Commission tweaked the guidelines to read that new home development would either have to meet the 35% or 3,000-square-foot requirement, whichever allowed for more grass. The recommendation passed 4-2.
As new development under the proposed guidelines would already be landscaped to conserve water, only owners of older properties would be able to tap into the Flip Your Strip or Landscape Lawn Exchange programs. The Flip Your Strip program provides participants with $1.25 per square foot of park strip areas that are converted from grass to low-water landscaping. The newer Landscape Lawn Exchange program provides participants with $2.50 per square foot of any part of a grass lawn that is converted.
David Rice, conservation division manager with the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, said it requires locales to implement new landscaping guidelines on future developments to tap into its programs, due to Utah Division of Water Resources guidelines. Part of the incentive funding provided under the Flip Your Strip and Landscape Lawn Exchange programs comes from the state.
"The state said we need these standards," Rice said. What's more, he said it wouldn't make sense to allow new development with no restrictions on turf areas only to provide funding under the entity's programs for the grass to later be removed.
In pushing to reduce grassy areas, Rice noted the quantity of water that typically goes to landscaping, typically 65% of a home's overall water use, most of that for lawns. Only around 35% of water consumption typically goes for indoor uses.
As for water savings, Rice estimates that converting a park strip from grass to rocks or landscaping that requires less water could cut water use by 5% to 10%. Reducing larger lawn areas could cut water use by, perhaps, 30%. Still, it's hard to make precise estimates because of the many variables that figure in water use.
Interest in the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District turf removal programs is holding steady this year compared to last year, Rice said.
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'They Killed My Daughter': Unhoused Woman Dies After Being Run Over By Landscaping Equipment
(KTXL) — An organization that supports the unhoused and a family are heartbroken after a landscaping contractor hired by the city of Modesto allegedly drove over and killed a woman who was laying in a field of overgrown vegetation.
"I feel terrible because they killed my daughter," said Christopher Chavez, the father of 27-year-old Christine, who was unhoused and died Saturday, the day when workers driving a John Deere tractor with a pull-behind mower were cleaning up Beard Brook Park.
Christopher said that he immediately went to the spot where his daughter died after learning about her death.
"There were many pieces of (her remains) around there and I called the police," Chavez said. "I went there and I still have pieces of bones, like pieces of her skull and some teeth. It's terrible."
At Tuesday's city council meeting, a representative of the organization We Are Not Invisible addressed city leaders, saying that Chavez's father will not get the opportunity to say goodbye to his daughter at a proper funeral.
"He doesn't even get to see his daughter," said Dez Martinez to the city council during public comment. "You guys get to kiss your kids good night. If you buried them, you get to see them. He does not. Thank you."
"I'm truly sorry about what happened," replied Mayor Sue Zwahlen.
Modesto Police Spokeswoman Sharon Bear said city officials believe it is a "terrible accident," and a detective has returned to the scene to make sure they didn't miss any details.
At the family home, Christine's mother and siblings have been gathering to grieve and share their heartbreak and frustration.
"I am sad for what happened to my daughter, and we want justice for the way that she died," said Josefina Chavez, Christine's mother.
Christine's sister Rosalinda recalled the moment she saw several remains of her deceased sibling. "…They left big (pieces) of her all over the place, just covered up with the grass. We have to go see the place because we wanted some kind of closure, and to be right there, looking at the ground, and then all of a sudden, seeing (pieces) of her, is horrible."
E & J Gallo Winery, which owns Beard Brook Park, issued a statement, saying, "Gallo acquired the Beard Brook Park property in Modesto on Friday, July 7, 2023. On Saturday, July 8, 2023, a landscaping contractor was hired to perform weed abatement and fire prevention services. There was an accident at approximately 12:00 p.M. Involving the contractor's tractor and an individual who was not visible and laying in a tall, weeded area. The contractor immediately contacted the Modesto Police Department, and upon arrival, MPD officers declared the individual was deceased."
Gallo and the landscaping contractor are fully cooperating with law enforcement authorities on this situation.
"Gallo expresses its sincere condolences to the family of the victim," the statement continued.
Jose Zermeño, Christine's brother-in-law, said workers should have been more alert.
"I work with machinery, I know when you are with machinery, you are paying attention to what is ahead of you, especially if you have something dragging behind you," Zermeño said. "And for him not to see anything laying in front of him, he wasn't doing his job."
The Chavez family has pledged to take care of Christine's 9-year-old daughter, who will now grow up without her mother.
Martinez, who spoke of Christine at the council meeting, says the county needs to do more for its homeless population.
"What happened to building affordable housing, tiny home villages, safe camps, to get people off the streets so they're not raped, they're not killed, and they're not run over while taking a nap in a park?"
Watering Landscape Plants In The Summer Heat
GRIFFIN — As summer heats up, Georgians tend to worry about how hot it's going to be and how dry. To properly care for the plants in our landscapes and gardens this Smart Irrigation Month, residents need to pay a little extra attention to temperatures and rainfall in order to supplement water when needed.
It is easy to get busy with summer activities and forget to water or even overwater our plants because we want to be sure they will survive the heat. Monitor rainfall amounts regularly and consider using reminders on your phone or calendar to check on your plants.
On average, plants need an inch of water per week for growth and development. Summer rainfall can produce this amount of water, but it may come all at once, in a short storm, and not truly soak into the ground. Checking weather apps or websites like the Georgia Weather Network can provide information about weekly rainfall and soil moisture, or you can monitor soil moisture the old-fashioned way — go outside, stick your finger in the soil, or try to dig up a scoop.
There are times when providing extra water is especially important for plant survival. When they are first installed, plants need water more frequently. Depending upon how the plant was produced and site conditions like sun exposure, wind, soil characteristics and temperatures, newly installed plants can require water daily until they root in enough to use water in the surrounding soil. As these new plants get established, the need to provide supplemental water decreases.
Providing supplemental water also can be strategic for older plants. Trees that have been planted for two or three years can benefit from supplemental water if summer conditions are hot and dry for extended periods of time. Some plants, like evergreen Chamaecyparis and Cryptomeria, thrive in moist soils. If the summer becomes hot and dry, these plants will experience stress. Under conditions of excess heat and dryness, entire sections of these plants will die, often leaving the plant badly disfigured. You will not realize their need for supplemental water until the damage is done. Instead, if we realize it's been hot and dry for an extended period of time, we can provide essential water that will reduce plant stress.
Just as it is important to give plants enough water, it is equally important to avoid overwatering them. Too much water can lead to root rots and plant death, not to mention high water bills. Use the information available to you to make sound decisions about watering your plants.
We all want to be good stewards of our water, so it's important to apply it efficiently and effectively. Remember to water late in the day or early in the morning. There are several ways we can get water to our plants, with varying levels of expense and effort.
Hand watering: If you need to get water to plants, the simplest solution is extending a hose or using watering cans.
Ollas: Ollas are unglazed clay pots set deeply into the ground with the neck just above soil level so that the pot can be filled with water. Slowly, the water in the olla seeps into the surrounding soil, providing supplemental moisture for plants that are in close proximity.
Soaker hoses: These hoses are designed to deliver water slowly over a broad area. They are especially helpful for providing supplemental water to larger planting beds or evergreen hedges. They soak the soil rather than wetting plant foliage, so they don't typically contribute to foliage disease.
Sprinklers: Connected to a water hose, sprinklers can help get water to larger areas in a pinch, but they are not the best option for routine watering. Water can be lost to evaporation while the sprinkler is running, especially if it is run during the day, and plant foliage will likely be wet, increasing risk of disease.
Irrigation systems: Drip irrigation is an efficient way to get water to plant roots. Set zones and timers to deliver supplemental water only when needed. Connecting to rain gauges avoids running irrigation systems when it's raining or when soil conditions are moist.
When it comes to keeping our plants hydrated and healthy, it always pays to follow good practices from the time of planting. Remember to properly prepare soil prior to planting so that root systems can get established. Incorporate organic matter, like compost, to improve the soil's ability to retain moisture. Compost added to heavy clay soils improves drainage and aeration. Apply mulch around plants to protect them from trimmer and lawn mower damage.
As you enjoy your summer and your landscape and gardens, take a few minutes to consider the water needs of your plants. Timely application of water in the proper amounts can keep them healthy and beautiful, protecting your investment.
Sheri Dorn is an Extension ornamental specialist and state Master Gardener coordinator in the department of horticulture at the UGA-Griffin campus.
