Panelists called out three local developments — Southern Shores, Zion Utah Jellystone Park and Desert Color — as water wasters.
“We literally have an industry that produces thousands of jobs,” Doug Bennett, conservation manager for the Washington County Water Conservancy District, said about tourism. “We have ain Washington County, and a huge part of that comes from the visitors that come here … and open their wallets.” Bennett, for example, noted that hotels have a smaller water footprint and are much more efficient than single-family homes in the area, many of which are seasonal or second homes and use 90% as much water as dwellings that are occupied year-round. Further exacerbating the problems, he added, many homes have been converted into Airbnbs, further draining the water supply and the availability of affordable housing.
“While there are a lot of people that would say we should just stop growth, are you going to tell those landowners that their land has become open space and that they should continue to pay taxes, even though they cannot put it to any other beneficial use?” Bennett asked.Instead, panelists urged, it makes more sense to conserve more by making better choices and more efficient use of existing water resources.
Still, the panelists agreed that much more needs to be done to conserve water. For instance, Bennett said the county has an estimated 200 million acres of lawn area, about 40% of which is nonfunctional or “lazy” grass that serves no purpose other than to soak up water. “Six of the thirstiest golf courses in the state of Utah are here in Washington County,” Goodfellow said. “We have 14 golf courses that are using 12% of … the county’s water.”drawing roughly 447,000 visitors to the area and resulting in an economic impact of nearly $151 million, according to the Greater Zion Convention and Tourism Office.