Utah has earned an unenviable distinction—second-worst in the nation for water efficiency, according to a recent study by filtered showerhead company Afina. The report analyzed projected domestic water use per person in 2025, monthly water bills, and state policy strength. Utah’s predicted 10,196 gallons of daily water withdrawal per person—the highest in the nation—paired with only average water policy scores, puts the Beehive State behind only Hawaii for water waste.

“Water efficiency is an essential aspect of environmental stewardship and resource management. States leading in water conservation demonstrate the positive impact of combining effective policies with individual efforts. By adopting water-saving technologies and being mindful of daily consumption, communities can significantly reduce their water footprint. It’s encouraging to see states making strides in this area, and there’s an opportunity for others to follow suit to ensure a sustainable future.” – Ramon van Meer, Founder of Afina

But what does that mean for cities on the front lines of Utah’s growth, like Eagle Mountain, Saratoga Springs, and Lehi? As well as their neighboring towns Cedar Fort, and Fairfield?

While Utah as a whole faces criticism, many cities in the rapidly expanding Cedar Valley are taking decisive steps to do better. From secondary water systems and smart metering to turf limits and public education campaigns, these communities are innovating to stretch every drop—despite soaring demand and persistent drought risk.

In this in-depth report, we break down what each city is doing right, where challenges remain, and how local policies reflect (or defy) the state’s low ranking in Afina’s national analysis.

Water Conservation in Eagle Mountain, Saratoga Springs, Lehi, Cedar Fort, and Fairfield (2024–2025)

Water providers in northern Utah County face the challenge of rapid growth and persistent drought conditions. Each city – Eagle Mountain, Saratoga Springs, Lehi, Cedar Fort, and Fairfield – has adopted policies and programs to manage domestic water use, optimize outdoor irrigation, implement smart metering, and educate residents about conservation. Below is a summary of each city’s approach, including any watering restrictions, tiered pricing, landscaping incentives, secondary water systems, and notable initiatives as of 2024–2025.

Eagle Mountain

Eagle Mountain has a comprehensive water management plan emphasizing efficient use and long-term sustainability. Outdoor watering restrictions are enforced: city ordinance prohibits lawn irrigation between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., with an odd/even address schedule for alternate-day watering. Violators receive warnings, and repeat offenses can lead to shutoff and fines. In 2023, the city further limited turf in new developments – front/side lawns are now capped at 250 sq ft or 50% of landscaped area (whichever is larger) to encourage xeriscaping. This curb on high-water-use grass is expected to save about 0.01 acre-feet per lot annually.

Eagle Mountain does not yet have a citywide secondary (non-potable) water system for homes; all residential and commercial irrigation currently uses the culinary supply. However, a separate pressurized irrigation system serves some public spaces: for example, treated process water from the new Meta data center is being reused to irrigate Cory Wride Park as of 2024. City parks and medians have gradually been converted to water-wise landscaping (60% of City Hall grounds are xeriscaped, and grass in many street medians was replaced with drought-tolerant plants as early as 2005). These efforts reduce outdoor demand on the culinary system.

On the technology and policy side, Eagle Mountain requires universal metering – all new and existing connections must have an individual water meter, and the city has installed source meters to track overall supply. About two-thirds of the system’s meters are now on an automated reading network. This metering has enabled a tiered water rate structure that charges higher rates for higher usage, creating a price signal to conserve. (For example, in 2024 residential rates range from about $1.38 to $1.58 per thousand gallons in escalating tiers.) Eagle Mountain’s culinary per-capita usage has been dropping and remains below regional goals, which the city attributes in part to metering and conservation outreach. The city also conducts water-loss audits and leak detection; unaccounted water was about 8% in 2023, and staff actively address leaks to keep that number low.

Resident education and involvement are growing priorities. The city acknowledges that historically “citizens… still lack education on efficient water use practices”, so it has ramped up public information. Eagle Mountain offers free “water check” irrigation audit kits at the public library for residents to test sprinkler efficiency. The Water Department monitors for unusually high use and directly alerts high-consumption users to help them identify leaks or overwatering. Thousands of city-owned sprinkler heads have been upgraded to smart controllers that adjust to weather conditions, modeling the water-saving technology that residents are encouraged to adopt. The city’s website and newsletters promote the state’s Weekly Lawn Watering Guide and outline best practices like watering only in the late evening or early morning (reinforcing the local ban on watering during hot daytime hours). Eagle Mountain is also collaborating on a long-term water reuse project (investing in wastewater treatment upgrades to supply irrigation water for parks and other public lands). These combined measures – strict watering ordinances, metered tiered rates, infrastructure upgrades, and education – form Eagle Mountain’s strategy to sustain its water supply amid rapid growth.

Saratoga Springs

Saratoga Springs has been proactive in water conservation, especially through its extensive secondary water system. The city has a fully pressurized secondary irrigation network that delivers non-potable water (from dedicated wells, the Utah Lake Distributing Canal, and Utah Lake) for outdoor landscaping use. This system, in place for decades, keeps culinary (drinking) water and irrigation water separate. Historically, the secondary water was unmetered and charged at a flat rate, which led to excessive outdoor use. To address this, Saratoga Springs undertook a major secondary meter installation program a few years ago. By 2016 the city had installed about 4,000 secondary meters, funded by a $3.6 million bond, and switched from a flat fee to tiered secondary water pricing. The impact was dramatic: in the first year, citywide outdoor water use fell from nearly 1 billion gallons to under 800 million (a ~21% reduction) despite population growth, and the average irrigation use per customer dropped 27%. The city even received a statewide efficiency award for cutting outdoor water use by almost 30% thanks to metering and tiered rates. Today, pressurized irrigation is billed with a conservation-oriented structure – residents pay a flat base fee year-round for system maintenance, plus usage charges in the watering season that escalate if they exceed their allotted water right for their lot. This provides a financial incentive to avoid overwatering. Residents can track both their culinary and irrigation usage online via a “My Water Use” customer portal, which shows hourly data and allows setting up usage alerts. Empowering users with real-time data has helped find leaks and encourage adjustments in watering habits.

Outdoor irrigation policies in Saratoga Springs encourage efficiency. Like many Utah communities, the city urges watering only during off-peak cooler hours – residents are asked not to run sprinklers between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. to reduce evaporation. The city follows state recommendations on when to start spring watering (generally around mid-April) and when to shut systems down in fall (mid-October). Unnecessary daytime watering is discouraged unless for new sod establishment or system testing. While Saratoga Springs doesn’t impose a rigid day-of-week watering schedule for residents, it leads by example with city parks: municipal turf is irrigated on a three-day rotation – essentially each section of a large park is watered once every three days, even though some watering occurs nightly in different zones. This interval approach ensures even large fields get only two waterings per week on average, demonstrating that lawns can stay healthy with less frequent irrigation. The Parks Department also closely monitors and fixes sprinklers to prevent overspray and waste, and they welcome the public’s help in reporting broken heads or runoff issues promptly. Over the last five years, the city has been converting its facility irrigation to smart irrigation systems that adjust to weather and plant needs. These cloud-controlled systems use local evapotranspiration data and rain sensors to delay or skip watering after rainstorms, only applying what is needed to keep turf healthy. For instance, if rainfall meets a day’s water requirement, the system will automatically postpone the next scheduled watering. This technology has been implemented in large parks (like Neptune Park and others) and can be managed remotely by city staff, resulting in significant water savings on city-maintained lands.

Public education and incentives also play a role. Saratoga Springs’ Water Conservation webpage offers tips for residents on both outdoor and indoor water savings – from tuning up sprinklers and landscaping with drought-tolerant plants, to shortening showers and installing low-flow fixtures. The city points residents to state resources like the Weekly Lawn Watering Guide from Utah’s Division of Water Resources for recommendations on how many days per week to water based on weather. While the city itself doesn’t provide direct rebates for turf removal or smart controllers, it partners with regional programs (e.g. Utah Slow the Flow campaigns, Localscapes classes) and encourages homeowners to take advantage of those. The combination of a robust secondary system, metering with tiered rates, advanced irrigation technology, and active outreach has made Saratoga Springs a leader in municipal water conservation.

Lehi

Lehi City has long recognized the importance of conserving water amid rapid development. As early as the late 1980s, Lehi invested in an ambitious secondary water system to handle outdoor irrigation separately from drinking water. By 1990, a citywide pressurized irrigation (PI) network was in place, which immediately cut culinary water use – Lehi’s records showed a major drop in drinking water demand once lawn watering shifted to the secondary system. Today, virtually all Lehi homes have dual connections: culinary water for indoor use and untreated secondary water for landscapes. This has preserved potable supplies for a growing population. One unique aspect is that Lehi’s fire hydrants are served by the secondary system year-round (with appropriate engineering controls), an uncommon approach that makes dual use of the irrigation infrastructure.

For many years, Lehi’s secondary water was not metered at individual homes, which made it difficult to promote conservation because users paid a flat fee regardless of use. That is now changing. In response to state law (Utah HB 242 (2022) requiring all secondary connections to be metered by 2030), Lehi began a massive Secondary Water Metering Project in October 2022. Over 12,000 connections will be equipped with meters in a 5–6 year effort, starting with the Traverse Mountain area (completed in 2023). Notably, since 2016 all new homes in Lehi were already coming with secondary meters installed (though they were not used for billing yet). By collecting data and preparing the community now, Lehi expects a 20%–40% reduction in outdoor water use once metering and new rate structures are fully implemented. The city secured a state loan (via the Utah Board of Water Resources) to fund this project, underscoring the state-mandated nature of the effort. As the meters are rolled out, Lehi is conducting a water rate study to design an “equitable structure” that rewards conservation and discourages excessive watering. This likely means a tiered rate system for secondary water will be in place by the time metering is complete, with higher-volume users paying more. Currently, Lehi charges a flat monthly fee for pressurized irrigation service (allowing unlimited use during the April–October season), but that is expected to change. Even ahead of new rates, the city is leveraging the data from new meters by launching a customer web portal (similar to Saratoga’s) so residents can monitor their own usage and detect leaks.

Lehi has also implemented strict watering restrictions during drought periods. The city maintains a Water Shortage Management Plan with escalating phases (Phase I – Normal, Phase II – Moderate Shortage, Phase III – Severe Shortage). City water officials assess local supply (including snowpack and reservoir levels) each month in summer to decide which phase is needed. In 2022, after Utah’s extreme drought, Lehi entered Phase III (red) at the start of the irrigation season. Under Phase III restrictions, residents were limited to watering lawns no more than two days per week, with at least two days of no irrigation in between cycles. Watering on back-to-back days, or exceeding two days weekly, was prohibited, and all outdoor watering was still subject to the standard rule of no daytime watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. (a common provision to reduce evaporation losses). Lehi also banned washing hard surfaces (driveways, sidewalks) except for essential health/safety needs during this phase. To enforce these rules, the city used a tiered penalty system: a first violation earned a hand-delivered warning and instructions, a second violation brought a $100 fine (with an option to waive it if the resident attends a city-run water conservation class), and a third violation cost $500. The city made exceptions for new lawns (allowing more frequent watering for 30 days to establish turf) and for short test cycles to maintain irrigation systems. In addition to enforcement, Lehi undertook a robust public education campaign around these restrictions – disseminating information via the city website, social media, direct emails, newsletters, marquee signs, and mailers. The goal was to ensure residents understood why such cutbacks were necessary and how to comply. Lehi also delayed the start of its watering season in 2022, asking residents not to turn on sprinklers until May 1 (a few weeks later than usual) to conserve storage water.

Outside of drought emergencies, Lehi encourages year-round conservation habits. The city’s 2019 Water Conservation Plan noted efforts like distributing educational flyers and promoting “slow-the-flow” practices. Lehi has building codes that align with conservation – for instance, an ordinance passed in 2022 formally set the secondary water season from April 15 to October 15 and established rules to prevent waste (reflecting what had been practice). As new subdivisions are built, Lehi requires modern plumbing (low-flow fixtures) and efficient irrigation design. While Lehi doesn’t offer its own landscaping incentive program, it participates in regional initiatives: residents can utilize Central Utah Water Conservancy District (CUWCD) rebates for things like smart sprinkler controllers or turf removal (Localscapes rewards), and the city helps publicize these opportunities. Notably, Lehi’s coordination with CUWCD also provides supplemental water: the city leases some Central Utah Project water to bolster its supplies, and will likely seek more as it approaches build-out. In terms of infrastructure, Lehi is planning new groundwater wells and storage to meet future demands, and upgrading its distribution system (including the PI network) to reduce losses. By 2024–2025, Lehi stands at a transition point – moving from an era of flat-rate secondary water to a metered, data-driven system with tiered pricing – which is expected to significantly improve outdoor water efficiency while maintaining the city’s cherished landscapes.

Cedar Fort

Cedar Fort is a much smaller, rural town in Cedar Valley, and its water management approach differs from the larger cities. With only a few hundred residents, Cedar Fort’s water infrastructure is limited: the town relies on a handful of deep wells and springs for all its culinary (drinking) water supply. Unlike its bigger neighbors, Cedar Fort does not have a separate secondary water system for outdoor irrigation – residential outdoor use comes from the same culinary system, or from private wells on some properties. This means that conservation of potable water is critical, especially in summer months. The town’s water connections are all metered, and users pay based on consumption, but tiered rate structures (charging progressively more at higher usage levels) are generally not in effect due to the system’s small size. Water rates are kept modest, and the town budgets conservatively to avoid deficits. Consequently, Cedar Fort relies heavily on community awareness and voluntary compliance to reduce water waste.

Basic watering guidelines are encouraged in Cedar Fort, often mirroring state recommendations during drought. For instance, residents are advised to water lawns during early morning or late evening and avoid daytime irrigation to prevent evaporation loss (though this may not be codified as a strict ordinance, it is a best practice widely communicated). In severe drought years (such as 2021–2022), Cedar Fort officials have urged residents to significantly cut back outdoor watering – sometimes limiting use to certain days per week – to ensure the town’s wells can keep up with demand. The town can also draw on Utah’s emergency declarations; when the Governor issues drought orders, Cedar Fort aligns with any mandated regional restrictions. However, given the small scale, enforcement tends to be informal: neighbors hold each other accountable, and the town council can step in if someone egregiously wastes water. Wasteful use of culinary water is against town policy, and the Town Council has authority to terminate service for continued water waste after due notice, treating it as a violation of public utility rules (this is similar to nearby Fairfield’s ordinance). Such action is rarely needed, as residents generally understand the importance of not letting water run down the gutters.

Cedar Fort’s water conservation programs are modest. The town does not have rebates for landscaping or high-tech metering systems, but it benefits indirectly from state and county programs. Many residents have large lots or agricultural land and have adopted xeric landscaping out of necessity – native vegetation and dry farming are common, which reduces the need for culinary water on landscaping. The town encourages new developments (few as they are) to be low-water-use and sometimes requires developers to bring water rights or shares to support any increased demand. If lawns are installed, property owners are encouraged to follow “slow the flow” techniques (deep, infrequent watering, etc.) that Utah State University Extension advocates.

A notable infrastructure effort in Cedar Fort around 2024 is the phased upgrade of its water system. The town recently completed the first phase of a water project (improving pipelines and storage) without raising water rates, thanks to grants and careful financial planning (as noted in a 2023 town update). This project is aimed at reducing leaks and increasing capacity, which in turn helps conserve water by preventing losses. Future phases may include improved pump systems or an additional storage tank to better manage peak summer demand. By bolstering infrastructure, Cedar Fort can maintain reliable service while asking residents to conserve.

In summary, Cedar Fort’s approach is rooted in simplicity and stewardship. With no secondary water and limited supply, every gallon counts. The town relies on common-sense watering practices, community cooperation, and strict avoidance of waste rather than an array of formal programs. While less high-tech than larger cities, Cedar Fort’s commitment to “use only what you need” plays a crucial role in stretching its water resources.

Fairfield

Fairfield is another small town in the Cedar Valley, adjacent to Cedar Fort, and it faces similar water constraints. Fairfield’s municipal water system serves a portion of the town through a single well and a natural spring source, while many residents (over half the households) maintain their own wells or water rights for domestic and agricultural needs. This unique situation means that water usage policies must account for both municipal connections and independent users. For those on the town system, Fairfield enforces a strict anti-waste ordinance. By law, users of town water must not let water run needlessly; if someone is found “using water in a wasteful manner” and ignores a notice to stop, the town can terminate their water service after a hearing. Wanton waste of water is even classified as a misdemeanor under the code. This strong stance underlines how seriously Fairfield takes water conservation – in a small community, one leaky tap or an over-watered lawn can strain the entire system.

Outdoor watering in Fairfield is typically more limited than in larger suburbs. Many Fairfield residents have spacious properties with natural prairie grasses, and fewer have extensive lawn irrigation compared to city subdivisions. Those who do irrigate lawns or gardens from the town system are encouraged to do so sparingly. The town follows the general Utah watering schedule recommendations, advising residents to avoid irrigation during the heat of the day and to water no more than 2-3 times per week when necessary. In drought emergencies, Fairfield can impose specific restrictions. During the height of the recent drought (2022), Fairfield’s town council echoed state directives by instituting watering restrictions – for example, temporarily banning all outdoor watering for a period, or limiting it to once a week – to protect the spring source when its flow dropped critically low (this was communicated via town meetings and social media). As of 2024, after a wetter year, those emergency limits have eased, but the town has reminded everyone that “we are still in water restrictions” as a precautionary measure (indicating that some limits on frequency or timing remain in place until aquifer levels fully rebound). Essentially, residents are expected to treat water as a precious resource year-round.

Fairfield does not have a secondary water system or a tiered rate structure – the town’s water billing is a flat monthly fee with an included usage allowance, and modest overage charges if that allowance is exceeded. Given the small scale, there are no local rebate programs for things like landscaping. However, Fairfield residents often practice conservation-minded landscaping by default. The town’s rural character means many yards have native vegetation or agrarian uses, and there’s community support for avoiding high-water ornamental landscapes. If someone proposes a large irrigated project, the town may require analysis to ensure it won’t negatively impact the communal well or spring.

On the education and outreach front, Fairfield relies on direct communication. The part-time Water Director provides updates at town hall meetings, and information is posted on the town website and bulletin board regarding water quality and conservation. In late 2022, Fairfield hosted a “Water and Sewer Town Hall” to explain where the town’s water comes from, the challenges of contamination and overuse, and how residents (both on the system and on private wells) can help by conserving and protecting the water supply. This included advice on fixing leaks, installing efficient fixtures, and not dumping contaminants. The town is also proceeding with improvements: by 2023 it updated its Source Protection Plans for both the well and spring, and it continues to seek funding for expanded infrastructure (without overly burdening residents). The recent water project phase I mentioned in local news involved adding treatment equipment to address some contamination and drilling test wells for a potential secondary source. These upgrades aim to secure Fairfield’s water future and reduce the need for severe restrictions.

In conclusion, Fairfield’s water strategy in 2024–2025 is about vigilant management and community cooperation. The town leverages ordinances against waste, encourages minimal outdoor usage (especially given many residents have lived experience with wells running dry), and steadily invests in infrastructure improvements. While Fairfield may not have flashy smart meters or rebate programs, its notable focus is on protecting its limited water sources and educating its citizens to be conscientious water stewards. In a region as arid as Utah, even the smallest towns are innovating in their own way to ensure a sustainable water supply for years to come.

Sources:

• Eagle Mountain City – Water Conservation and Management Plan (2024); Eagle Mountain City Water Conservation Website.
• Saratoga Springs – City Water Conservation Page; Pressurized Irrigation Info; Deseret News (2018) on Secondary Metering Success; Saratoga Springs Smart Irrigation description.
• Lehi City – Lehi Free Press (2022) on Watering Restrictions; Lehi City Secondary Water Metering Project details; Lehi 2019 Water Plan Excerpts.
• Cedar Fort – Eagle Mountain Water Plan (regional context); Fairfield Code (anti-waste ordinance, analogous for small towns).
• Fairfield – Fairfield Town Code, Section 6.1.50 Wasting of Water; Fairfield Town Water Dept. reports and notices (2022–2023). (Additional context from Utah DWR and local communications has been incorporated.)

Photo by Maxim Tolchinskiy on Unsplash