USU Landscaping Saved an Average of 84 Olympic-Sized Pools Worth of Water Compared to 2020

More and more frequently Utah's summers are left with less and less water.

Because of that climatic misfortune, USU's Logan Campus is constantly held in a balance between landscape beauty and ensuring water conservation.

"We try to strike the right balance between creating a sustainable and resilient campus with creating a beautiful and aesthetic campus," says Jordy Guth, associate director of planning & sustainability for USU Facilities.

Utilizing its Landscape Resiliency and Drought Plan, USU's Landscape Operations and Maintenance (LOAM) team ensures efficient care of USU's grass and greenery. Under normal conditions, as a first line of defense, LOAM uses a smart irrigation system that spreads USU's allotment of canal water depending on weather conditions as well as plant and soil needs. As a team, they also constantly investigate and repair leaks and breaks in the system — while also ensuring that sprinklers are spraying where they are meant to.

"Our teams are actively looking and ask for assistance to help find leaks," says John Chase, director of operations & statewide campuses with USU Facilities.

Under drought conditions, campus effectively contracts inwards, leaving outlying or otherwise low-priority turf areas to yellow — meaning they've gone dormant. However, the Quad, among other high-profile or high-use areas, is continually watered until drought condition worsen to a point where protecting USU's aged and prized trees becomes the top priority.

"We can plant grass, we can replace flowers," says Shane Richards, USU's manager of Landscape Operations and Maintenance. "We can't replace 150-year old tree."

For more information on USU's water conservation and efficiency methods, see the USU Landscape Resiliency and Drought Plan.