We don’t tend to think of water usage much during the winter when fields lie fallow and lawns are blanketed with snow. But a story last week on Tooele County’s per capita water usage is reason for cautious optimism no matter the season.

According to two water use studies conducted in 2000 and 2005 by the state Division of Water Resources, Tooele County uses less water on a per capita basis than most other counties in Utah. And, extrapolating from the trends discovered during this five-year window, Tooele County’s per capita usage appears to be declining over time.

Utah is the second biggest per capita consumer of water in the nation, behind only Nevada. That stands to reason, given the aridity of both states. But taking that logic a step further, one would expect Tooele County, which is one of the most arid parts of Utah, to have one of the state’s highest per capita water usage rates. In fact, the reverse holds true.

It’s possible our relative frugality with water stems from few large, water-intensive industries. However, that would seem to be negated by a homebuilding boom during the survey years. (Residential construction typically requires substantial water usage.)

We’d prefer to think our water-wise mentality has to do with constant reminders from irrigation company managers, hydrologists, local government officials, and even farmers and ranchers to conserve this precious resource.

Unlike many more urbanized, metropolitan communities in the West, we understand the value of water in a visceral way. Water shares — a finite commodity in the Tooele Valley — are skyrocketing in price. We pay a pretty penny even to municipal water systems to keep our lawns green in the summertime. And a large number of us pay close attention to things like reservoir levels and dry vegetation during the wildfire season.

Do we overwater during the summer? Do we run our timed sprinklers during a rainstorm? Do we waste water in the home? The answer to all of these questions is undoubtedly yes. Obviously, there’s room for improvement. Still, we appear to be doing a better job of slowing the flow than most.