Can Daybreak Residents Save Water by ‘Flipping their Strip?'

By Justin Adams

For those who want to do their part to help our regional effort to conserve water, South Jordan and the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District have a program called ‘Flip Your Strip.’ The program encourages homeowners to replace the grass on their park strip with an alternative ground cover like mulch or rocks, as well as approved water-wise plants. At the end of the process, the homeowner can be reimbursed up to $300 for the cost of the new landscaping.

It’s a program that more and more people are taking advantage of, according to Jake Mitchell, a South Jordan resident and owner of Bingham Landscaping. Just last summer, his company assisted with about 25-30 “strip flips.” He says it’s becoming increasingly popular, not only because of water conservation but because a nice and professionally landscaped park strip with a variety of plants is simply more interesting and aesthetically pleasing than a long strip of grass.

“They can be really beautiful with a variety of plants, heights, ground covers, pavers. Some people even go as far as adding little fountains. You have a pretty good variety of things that you can do,” explained Mitchell.

And what are people losing out on by getting rid of the grass in their park strip? A lot of wasted water, for one.

“Pop up heads waste a lot of water trying to water park strips because they’re designed to water wider areas. So much of the water ends up on the sidewalk or in the road,” said Mitchell. “And it’s not like you’re playing catch with your kids in the park strip, so why insist on keeping grass there?”

Sounds pretty good, but does this program apply to Daybreak? Some might wonder if the HOA prevents homeowners from altering the landscaping on their park strip.

Well, not only does Daybreak allow for water-wise landscaping projects, but that’s just one of the many ways that the development is supporting water conservation.

In 2021, Daybreak implemented a water conservation plan that reduced secondary water usage by 16 percent, or about 32 million gallons. In 2022, that plan was expanded to save an additional 10 million gallons.

As for the ‘Flip Your Strip’ program, the Daybreak Community Association website states, “The Daybreak Community Association encourages water-wise and sustainable landscaping. In fact, from the very foundation of the Community, Daybreak has been committed to sustainable growth and preserving scarce natural resources.. With careful execution and approval by the Design Review Committee, a xeric or sustainable landscape can be a beautiful addition and meet all of the requirements outlined in our Resident Design Guidelines.”

So Daybreak residents can indeed flip their strip. They just need to follow certain requirements (in addition to those included in South Jordan’s rebate program) and have their design approved by the Design Review Committee. There are also multiple design templates pre-approved by the Board to simplify the process.

As for the actual execution of an approved design, homeowners can take on the project themselves, but Mitchell recommends teaming up with a professional.

“About a dozen of the jobs we did last summer were for people that got halfway through the project and then reached out to us for help because they got overwhelmed,” he said. “They don’t realize how laborious it can be, so it can turn into a project that spans multiple weekends if you don’t know what you’re doing. But our team can do them with just a 2-day turnaround time.”

You can get in contact with Jake and his Bingham Landscaping team by emailing binghamlandscapingut@gmail.com or calling (385) 472-7171.

More News from South Jordan

• Daybreak Pride Event to Celebrate Love With Music, Dance, Food and Games This year's Pride event will be the biggest yet!
• Herriman High Gamers Excited for Sanctioning of High School Esports Competitive esports are officially coming to Utah high schools.