News Release Archive

BYU Presented with Commissioner's Water Conservation Award

Media Contact: Stacey Carroll, (801) 5247-3813, 03/25/2006 16:15
Kerry Schwartz, kschwartz

For Release: March 25, 2006

On Saturday, March 25, the Bureau of Reclamation presented the Commissioner's Water Conservation Award to Roy Peterman, Brigham Young University (BYU) Grounds Director, for his efforts and accomplishments in water conservation.

"The BYU Landscape Irrigation Improvement Program is a wonderful example of a large urban landscape water user working to conserve one of our most precious resources," said Brent Rhees, Reclamations Provo Deputy Area Manager. "BYU has proven to be not only a good example, but also a leader in the community of water conservation."

The conservation award recognizes outstanding accomplishments from Federal water users and partners in the areas of planning, demonstration, information/training, and implementation of water-use efficiency measures. Peterman and the BYU Grounds Maintenance Section are utilizing more efficient water system operation and maintenance, which has resulted in a reduction in water use of approximately 341 acre-feet of water on the BYU campus.

The original sprinkling system design at BYU was made of galvanized pipe and had no capacity for separating turf areas from flower or shrub beds and turf on slopes were watered the same as flat areas. As part of a five-year program, and initial training from Irrigation Specialists at Reclamation's Provo Area Office, old and inefficient irrigation systems areas are being replaced with a more efficient system that is designed to separate zones based on plant watering needs, and the old leaking galvanized pipes are being replaced with PVC. This is an ongoing effort that is scheduled to be completed in the next five years. During this process, the supplied water is being converted mainly from culinary to pressurized secondary water.

BYU is conserving water in the following ways: engineering their own soil mix for new construction areas, which maximizes water absorption and limits runoff; proper sprinkling system design for new areas; weekly system checks to find and repair broken equipment; yearly training of personal on proper sprinkling system operation and repair; regular aeration of turf areas due to tremendous foot traffic; mulched shrub beds; mower heights are set higher; central control system that waters the landscaping using evapotransporation; scheduling an "on call" person to respond to water problems 24-hours a day; water dry spots with a hose instead of the entire system; and conducting a daily check of the campus to look for water and plant problems, which includes weekends.

"We commend the efforts of Roy Peterman and the Grounds Section staff at BYU," said Rhees. Their commitment to providing a quality and water efficient landscape is reflected in the maintenance crew's attitude and the beauty of the BYU campus."

Photo Caption: (From left to right)Dave Saxey, BYU Water Master; Olye Smith, BYU Assistant Vice President; Kerry Schwartz, Bureau of Reclamation; Roy Peterman, BYU Grounds Director (recipient of award); Brad Farnsworth, BYU Administrative Vice President over Grounds

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.