Draper - New landscaping is expected to reduce outdoor water use at Draper’s City Hall by 88 percent. The idea for the two-phase project began after the construction of the new Draper Police Department wing impacted the previous landscape design. The new landscape features water-wise plants as well as rock mulch and lawn area.

“The new landscaping looks so much better than what we had before. I am very impressed with the fact that the choice of water-wise landscaping will reduce the use of Utah’s valuable water and overall it saves the tax-payers money,” Mayor Troy K. Walker said in a press release.

Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District (JVWCD), Draper’s primary water supplier, helped to fund the project – which should be completed next spring. 

“We thought it would be a really visual location where people could see how beautiful water-wise landscaping can be. There’s still kinda a stigma that water-wise landscaping is going to be all cactus and lava rock and we thought this was a great opportunity for residents to see water-wise landscaping and we wanted to support Draper City” Linda Townes, JVWCD public information officer, said about why the organization decided to give Draper City a grant to help pay for the project.

Utah’s population is expected to double in the next 45 years, however the water supply is not projected to double. The most water in Utah can be conserved outside, where approximately 60 percent of culinary water is used on landscaping, according to Townes.

“Even if you use secondary water for your landscaping, [saving water] is a good habit to get into,” Townes said. “A misconception is that you have to have an ugly landscape, but you can have a lush, green landscape if you use plants that are adapted to our climate.”

Residents can also receive rebates for conserving water when they work with Central Utah Water Conservancy District. More information can be found at www.cuwcd.com