Spanish Fork, Utah is a fast-growing city of 42,000 about 50 miles south of Salt Lake. The City provides both drinking water and outdoor irrigation supply primarily from local springs. By 2017, peak demand was putting substantial stress on the system for a small but significant portion of the day. Anticipated growth meant that, in the foreseeable future, peak demand would exceed the capacity of the City’s current water system.

This prompted the City to explore a conservation-first approach and extend system capacity without purchasing additional costly water rights or building new reservoirs. The City’s conservation efforts were also driven by Spanish Fork’s desire to not only meet but exceed Utah’s statewide goal of reducing water use by 25% by 2025. A significant part of the answer turned out to be smart irrigation controllers; these weather-based systems improve efficiency by limiting water use to optimal times of the day.  

Starting in 2018, Spanish Fork began providing residents with free, professionally installed smart irrigation controllers. Residents with automatic sprinkler systems, a smart phone, and wireless internet are eligible to sign up through the City’s website. As of 2025, residents receive $100 rebate on the purchase of an eligible smart controller.