Q: I noticed the sprinkler systems have been running every morning along Georgia Street from Arsenal Road to Elm Lane. This started in early April and appears to last from early morning to noon every day. This is a huge waste of water and is completely unnecessary.

Utah is in a severe drought condition with public service announcements and continued news coverage stressing the need to conserve water. Hill AFB should be taking the lead to conserve water.

A: The area you identified belongs to Boyer Hill Military Housing. Although they are required to comply with Hill AFB water conservation measures, none are implemented at this time. Last month, the weather conditions prompted BHMH to turn on irrigation systems in all housing areas to prevent damage to their many acres of grass. The weather is greatly fluctuating and BHMH is reacting appropriately to adjust their complex irrigation system. 

Unfortunately, their system does not have one master power switch, but rather 130 individual timers scattered amongst 1,100 homes. These timers contain a range of 6-36 zones, with each one rotating through cycles. The housing area you have been observing consists of 75 zones, which are controlled by multiple timers that could definitely give the impression that the sprinklers are always on.

Given the recent and projected rains, BHMH has shut the system down in this housing area and will continue to monitor the conditions, adjusting irrigation schedules when appropriate.