Artificial turf legalized in West Valley City in response to drought

Published on May 7, 2022.

As part of an experiment to combat Utah’s drought emergency, portions of grass around West Valley City Hall have been replaced with artificial turf.

The West Valley City Council voted last month to enact an ordinance that would legalize artificial turf. The act of using artificial turf has never been explicitly prohibited, but leaders of the city are giving the ordinance their blessing.

Wayne Pyle, West Valley City Manager, says that the experiment has been in place for about six months. Pyle says the city wanted to test out the turf to see how well it wears throughout the winter and so far, it’s worn very well. Pyle also added that the turf is easy to maintain and doesn’t require any water.

While it’s still restricted in some communities, artificial turf is quickly becoming one of the many options cities are now considering in response to Utah’s ongoing drought. Cameron Diehl, executive director of the Utah League of Cities and Towns, says that cities from St. George to Logan are examining their landscaping ordinances in an effort to save water.

Some changes that cities plan on making range from getting rid of park strips to moving away from a required “minimum” amount of lawn to a “maximum allowed.”

Diehl says that more city councils will start to unveil landscaping ordinances in the next few weeks and months.