Center for Water-Efficient Landscaping

The Center for Water Efficient Landscaping donated twelve Bigtooth maples that were planted at the Denzil Stewart Nature Park on Saturday, October 30th, 2020.

CWEL Director Kelly Kopp discusses the use of water-wise ornamental grasses for wildlife habitat on National Public Radio's Wild About Utah program. An audio recording is also available.

Recent CWEL graduate student Shane Evans publishes More “Pop” Per Drop: Smart Irrigation in the Landscape Business and the SportsField Management trade journals.

CWEL Director Kelly Kopp participated in a trip to the Philippines in order to learn more about Extension abroad and make connections with program administrators, practitioners, and academics in the field.

This free program is available in many locations throughout the state including Cache, Iron, Washington, Davis, Weber, Morgan, and Summit Counties. CWEL is also charged with administering the program in Salt Lake City, Sandy City and Eagle Mountain. If you live outside these areas, check out our online DIY Water Check tool to help you perform your own Water Check.

The Career Specialist Award is the most prestigious award that the USU Extension Specialist Association can bestow on an individual. In January of 2020 Dr. Larry Rupp was honored with this award at the annual Utah Extension Conference.

CWEL and Utah State University doctoral student Paige Boyle, Clint Mattox (Oregon State) and Timothy Lulis (The Pennsylvania State University) are being recognized as Watson Fellows with a $5,000 award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA).

The Utah Golf Course Superintendents Association, along with Utah State University, has resulted in the publication of "Utah Golf Course Industry Best Management Practices Guide".

This report contains an analysis of landscape water use for the Utah State Capitol grounds. It is being provided in response to a legislative request for this information. The Capitol grounds crew requested and received a Water Check in July and August of 2018. It was provided through the Water Check program affiliated with the Center for Water Efficient Landscaping (CWEL) at Utah State University (USU) Extension.

CWEL’s recent book, “Combinations for Conservation: Recommended Plant Groupings for Low-Water Landscapes” was awarded the 2018 Outstanding Book Award by the American Society for Horticultural Science Extension Division. CWEL faculty, Youping Sun accepted the award for the group at the ASHS annual conference August 3rd 2018 in Washington D.C.

Eagle Mountain City is now home to two highly advanced weather stations paid for and maintained by Utah State University. These two stations, located near the Rodeo Grounds and Nolen Park will collect very precise weather data for the City of Eagle Mountain to use in coordination with the USU WaterMAPS and WaterChecks programs.

The Center for Water Efficient Landscaping has joined a nation-wide research study evaluating the social, economic, and environmental barriers and benefits of transitioning from high input to low input grasses. The goal is to understand how different campus members evaluate the opportunities and barriers for utilizing low-input grasses in their efforts for more sustainable land management — meeting environmental, economic, and social objectives.

Dr. Joanna Endter-Wada received the 2018 Award for Outstanding Service in the Academic Sector from the American Water Resources Association Utah Section. The award was presented at the section’s 46th Annual Water Resources Conference, which was held in Salt Lake City at the S.J. Quinney School of Law, University of Utah on May 16, 2018.

Ms. Paige Boyle, recently admitted to USU as a Center for Water Efficient Landscaping Fellow, has also earned a Presidential Doctoral Research Fellowship from the university.

March 14-16th at Jordan Valley Conservation Garden Park Through the Qualified Water-Efficient Landscaper (QWEL) Program, local landscape professionals learn how to become water efficient in landscape design, maintenance, and operation, to make a positive impact in reducing landscape water demand.