You let the faucet run while you brush your teeth. You water your lawn at 4 p.m. And you still haven't replaced that 25-year-old clothes washer.
You might not think so, but you're single-handedly damaging the state's economy and threatening the future quality of life in Utah.
That's the message Gov. Mike Leavitt and two of his top administrators delivered Friday in a press conference aimed at persuading Utahns to conserve water.
"The population of the (Salt Lake) Valley will double in 30 years, and we will be out of water," Leavitt said, standing high above the Capitol and the valley at Ensign Peak Nature Park. "And we have to find ways for each of us to conserve water.
"Lake Powell is down some 93 feet. That's a long way from where we're standing, but that water starts here."
With the state in its fifth year of drought, Leavitt and representatives of the state's Slow The Flow campaign are gearing up for a summerlong effort to reduce water use across the state.
Officials are asking residents to voluntarily reduce lawn watering to just two times a week; eliminate all watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.; replace any old appliances that may use water inefficiently; and whenever possible, make "smart landscaping choices" such as xeriscaping to reduce or eliminate the need for watering.
"We can make a major impact in our efforts if we just keep watching our resources and not use so much water," said Larry Anderson, the state's director of water resources.
Even though there has been a considerable amount of rain in May, Anderson said the drought is still going strong. One more winter of drought, Leavitt added, and the situation could be "catastrophic."
But Utah's population growth is expected to continue. Even if the drought ends this year, the need to conserve water won't end, Leavitt said.
"As we grow, our water resources are not growing," he said.
"We need to develop a water conservation effort whether we're in a drought or in a wet cycle," Anderson added.
Earlier in the week, Leavitt issued a declaration of agricultural disaster and requested federal funds to help the state's agricultural industry.
Cary Peterson, the state's agriculture commissioner, said Utah counties have reported $286 million in agricultural losses due to the drought. Almost half of the state's 15,000 farms have reported significant losses.
"This is a hard hit to the economy of rural Utah and causes a ripple-down effect to the economy of the state as a whole," Leavitt said. "Conservation by small and large water users in rural and urban Utah is critical."
The Slow The Flow campaign plans a series of TV and radio announcements to keep Utahns aware of the need for water conservation and tell them exactly how they can help out.
Leavitt said the long-range goal is to reduce per-capita water use by at least 25 percent by 2050.
A recent public opinion survey commissioned by the governor's water conservation team shows Utahns are aware of the problem and are responding, with thousands of acre-feet of water conserved already this year.
However, the poll found the public needs more education. For example, 94 percent of respondents said they don't know how many inches of water they put on their lawns each year. The correct amount in northern Utah, state officials say, is about an inch a week, dispensed in two equal waterings. Lawns in southern Utah need about an inch-and-a-quarter each week.
E-mail: zman@desnews.com