Thirsty landscapes - Investigating growing irrigation water consumption and potential conservation measures within Utah’s largest master-planned community: Daybreak.

Abstract: The demand for more water in the southwestern parts of the United States of America is growing due to an increasing population, while climate conditions are becoming more unfavorable with higher temperatures and less precipitation. This study explores current culinary and secondary water consumptions used for irrigation purposes in the Daybreak neighborhood, located in South Jordan, Utah. Additionally, it examines the role of park strips and their impact on residential outdoor water usage, as well as their overall water conservation potential, and aims to deliver an estimate of the community’s future irrigation water consumption once completed around the year 2025. Based on over 6,500 manually digitized and classified features, detailed water meter readings, as well as several other GIS processes and statistical analyses, Daybreak, in its current state of being 35% developed, is using close to 1 million cubic meters of water annually to irrigate its public open spaces. The results also indicate that Daybreak’s single family residence (SFR) irrigation consumption is significantly different compared to non-Daybreak units, and that a positive relation exists between park strip area and SFR irrigation water usage. Furthermore, the conservation potential by converting turf-covered park strips to xeriscapes can theoretically reach over 1.2 million cubic meters of culinary water per year once Daybreak is fully developed, while the future irrigation volume for SFR units and public areas is estimated to surpass 9 million cubic meters per year. Overall, the results and findings of this research will advance the understanding of current and future irrigation consumption patterns within the Daybreak community and can be used as the basis for further research. Moreover, they assist South Jordan’s decision makers with water related challenges and can serve as justification for potential future city ordinances regarding water conserving landscaping.