The Tooele City Council unanimously passed a resolution to continue the city’s water conservation efforts on Wednesday.
City engineer Paul Hansen gave a slideshow presentation about Resolution 2015-50 for the council and the public prior to the vote. He reminded the council that in 2010 each person used an average of 197 gallons of city water per day. The council resolved to reduce water use by 10 percent in five years.
In 2014, city data indicated the average water use per person had dropped to 172 gallons per person, per day — a near 13-percent reduction.
Hansen said the reduction came from voluntary conservation efforts and no water restrictions had to be enforced. Resolution 2015-50 calls for city residents to continue to reduce culinary water use by another 10 percent in five years, lowering water use to 155 gallons per person, per day.
This reduction would come by continuing current water conservation efforts, including scheduled watering, reusing water, using a tiered water rate structure, replacing water meters and plumbing fixtures, identifying high water users and detecting leaks, Hansen said.
If city residents reduce their water use to 155 gallons per person, per day, Hansen predicted the total amount of water saved in 20 years would be equal to one well.
“That’s significant,” he said.