Trusted Sprinkler Experts in Santaquin, UT

Santaquin’s soils are generally a mix of clay-rich valley soils and rocky foothill soils. In the lower valley and former lakebed areas, the soil tends to be silty clay loam with a high clay content. These clay-heavy soils can hold water but drain slowly, meaning puddling or poor drainage can occur if over-watered. By contrast, on the benches and slopes near the mountains, the ground is much more rocky. Soil surveys show hillside areas with extremely stony loams – in some layers over 50% gravel and rock fragments. Santaquin City provides two types of water service to properties: culinary water (treated drinking water) and pressurized irrigation water (secondary water for outdoor use). Both water types are metered and billed, but they have different rate structures and purposes.

Santaquin residents connected to the pressurized irrigation system pay their own base monthly fee (about $45.16 per month currently). This is a flat fee that helps maintain the extensive pump and pipe network that delivers non-potable water across the city. In addition, PI usage is metered and charged at a single rate of roughly $1.01 per 1,000 gallons used. Unlike culinary water, there aren’t multi-tiered PI rates – instead, all secondary water usage is charged about the same modest rate per gallon. This secondary water rate is deliberately lower than the equivalent cost of using culinary water on the lawn, to encourage residents to utilize the PI system for irrigation. For homes without pressurized irrigation access, culinary water rates are lower, making water pricing very fair.

Traditionally, Santaquin targets April 15 (give or take a week) as the start of the irrigation season. City crews will charge the PI lines and residents can begin using outdoor sprinkler systems once pressure is up. Santaquin advises everyone to make sure your main sprinkler valves are shut off before this time. Mid-October is generally when Santaquin shuts down the secondary water for the winter. As soon as freezing nighttime temperatures arrive in the fall, the city will drain and blow out the pressurized irrigation lines to prevent ice damage. In practice, this often happens around the first or second week of October, depending on the year’s weather.

Santaquin doesn't have any listed days for when you can water. Do not water your lawn during the hottest part of the day. Santaquin strongly encourages all customers to avoid watering between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM. This is when evaporation is highest and a lot of your sprinkling water will simply evaporate before it soaks into the grass. By watering in the late evening, overnight, or early morning, you can use water more effectively and ensure it reaches plant roots.

Santaquin’s recently adopted Water Conservation Plan indicates the city will continue to look for funding and grants to support local conservation efforts. This could mean more opportunities in the future, such as giveaways for high-efficiency showerheads or rebates specifically for Santaquin residents if budget allows. For now, the main incentives are through the state and regional programs as described. Residents and commercial property owners alike can use these programs to get cash back for smart irrigation controllers, drip irrigation conversions, and more.

In Santaquin, as in all Utah communities, local codes require proper backflow prevention devices on any culinary water connection that could accidentally draw pollutants into the drinking water lines. What this means for homeowners is that your sprinkler system, if connected to the city’s drinking water (culinary) supply, must have an approved backflow preventer installed. The purpose is to stop dirty water from your lawn (which might contain fertilizer, pesticides, soil bacteria, etc.) from siphoning backwards into your home’s pipes or the city water mains. Santaquin city emphasizes this in its water quality reports – an unprotected garden hose in a puddle or a sprinkler head in a fertilized lawn is a potential hazard if backflow occurs.