Ground Operations: How SLC Grows a Sustainable Landscape
Amidst the flats of flowers and hours of yards work, there’s one word on the mind of many who are starting their spring planting.
Drought.
It’s also on the minds of the landscaping team at Salt Lake City International Airport. For them, handling water hardship is part of the job every year.
According to the National Integrated Drought Information System, Salt Lake County has experienced periods of drought in 23 of the last 26 years, with the most intense drought happening in 2021.
Sustainable Spring Planting
Located in a high desert environment, water is a key tenet of the sustainability efforts at SLC. Since 2003, more than 80 million gallons of water have been saved annually thanks to drought tolerant landscaping and a focus on planting native species.
Matt DeOllos runs the greenhouse at SLC and oversees landscaping operations across the airport property.
“We start planting for spring right after Christmas,” says DeOllos.
A small facility north of the terminal, the greenhouse is where all the airport’s outdoor plants are grown. DeOllos grows everything from lavender to ice plants and native species of sage. These plants adorn parking strips as well as the airport’s large art installations at the entrance and exit. Everything that is grown is designed with the climate in mind.
“Sustainability is important in our production,” DeOllos explains. “Every seed pot we use for our starts are reused each year. Being able to grow all the airport’s plants means we also cut down on carbon emissions from buying and transporting plants from someplace else.”
Slowing the Flow
When it’s finally time to plant, the airport utilizes drip line irrigation to minimize evaporation and maximize water absorption by the vegetation.
“We actually have the lines computer programmed to work with the weather,” DeOllos says. “If it’s raining or the ground is moist from past rain, the drip will not activate.”
His next project? An irrigation system is being installed around the Hoberman Arch, allowing DeOllos to enhance this symbol of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games with some desert-appropriate greenery.
Come July, it’s on to growing thousands of holiday poinsettias back at the greenhouse.