
LEADING A HISTORIC CONSERVATION EFFORT
- As drought conditions in the West intensified, Mayor Mendenhall began an aggressive voluntary conservation effort in the city. That work reduced water consumption by 15 percent in 2022, preventing 2.9 billion gallons of water from being diverted away from the lake.
- Erin’s team even developed a unique strain of grass seed specifically engineered to be drought-resistant in Salt Lake City’s climate and soil conditions.
- To further incentivize water conservation, Mayor Mendenhall has recommended to the City Council that the city implement a temporary drought surcharge on the city’s biggest water consumers. This surcharge would only impact the biggest water consumers — typically caused by excessive watering of lawns — and would end when the drought ends and emergency conditions have waned.
GIFTING THE CITY’S TREATED WATER TO THE LAKE
With the city’s water reclamation facility treating 35 million gallons of water each day, Mayor Mendenhall has begun steering that clean water into the lake to try to slow its deterioration. Erin is now trying to make that 13-billion-gallon-a-year gift from the city permanent.
ENSURING THE CITY GOVERNMENT DOES ITS PART
- On Mayor Mendenhall’s order, Salt Lake City government has had stricter water-conservation standards than it has imposed on the general public.
- Mayor Mendenhall has also ordered a top-to-bottom review of water usage in every city-owned facility and park, with a detailed assessment of irrigation systems, water fountains, and washrooms identifying new opportunities to do a better job of conserving water.