In late April, Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson announced the recipients of $1.1 million in turf conversion grants. Seven cities across the Salt Lake Valley will be awarded funds from the American Rescue Plan. Recipient cities are Bluffdale, Riverton, Sandy, South Jordan, Taylorsville, West Jordan and West Valley City.

Post-performance grants will be distributed to 21 approved projects to support conversion of turf on municipal property to water efficient landscaping.

“This is a visionary program and we’re helping cities who are already doing great things in working with their residents to be waterwise and eliminate some of the grass throughout our county,” said Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson. “Water conservation is not one city’s duty, not one county’s duty, it’s not one household’s duty, we will make a difference by making the change together.”

In total, projects in the participating cities will remove 412,000 square feet of non-functional turf, saving 9 million gallons of water annually. The effort is part of a collaboration with Salt Lake County, Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District, and the Utah League of Cities and Towns to supply resources to support water conservation.

“We are leading by example, so we are flipping the strip at our own city hall,” said Taylorsville Mayor Kristie Overson. “Water is so important but it isn’t handled the same in every city, so we’re excited to be able to individualize this and do what works in our city.”

With the help from mayors and councilmembers from every recipient city, West Jordan kicked off one of its projects with a “turf turn” to commemorate the occasion.

“We wouldn’t ask our residents to do something the city isn’t willing to do, as well, so we’re starting at our own house,” said West Jordan Mayor Dirk Burton, who climbed into a mini excavator to begin the turf conversion project at West Jordan City Hall. “If enough people do these little things, it makes a big difference.” λ