LDS Church leaders are concerned about the ongoing drought in the West and are asking their members not only to cut water usage in their homes and yards but to pray that God will send rain.
In a letter dated Sept. 10 to be read over the pulpit to congregations in Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona and California, the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints noted that many state and local municipalities in the West are working to conserve water.
"We encourage church members as good citizens to support local water-conservation measures and to implement such initiatives in their homes and yards. We are in the process of implementing water-saving practices for meetinghouses and other church facilities. These collective efforts will contribute significantly to the conservation of this most precious resource," the letter read.
"Additionally, we invite church members to importune our Heavenly Father through sincere prayer and fasting to send rain upon the Earth where it is so badly needed."
In Utah, city and state officials have been urging residents for some time to cut back on water consumption. Radio spots featuring Gov. Mike Leavitt talk of the depleted water reserves in Utah reservoirs, asking residents to conserve so water will be available next spring. Ray H. Bryant, director of the headquarters facilities division for the LDS Church, said landscape water consumption at its downtown Salt Lake City properties has been cut"substantially" with installation of a conservation system.
"We have our own little weather station which helps us to monitor solar radiation, the wind, temperature, humidity and precipitation." The system, developed by the Rainbird Corp., is used at Walt Disney World and at Brigham Young University.
It monitors temperature and humidity, and delivers only the amount of water required for flower beds and lawns."With this cool weather we had just a couple of weeks ago, it reduced our water consumption 45 percent just during that week," Bryant said.
Large areas of church property near the Salt Lake Temple annex and Family History Library have cut consumption 50 percent from last year after a drip system was installed. Bryant said no watering takes place on the church properties between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., and all lawn mowers have been adjusted to a three-inch height, keeping the grass longer so it requires less water. Directives sent to those responsible for temples and meetinghouses in the West also instructed that water consumption be reduced by at least 25 percent, he said.