DROUGHT BRINGS EXTENSIVE RESTRICTIONS FOR NATURAL GRASS
By Suz Trusty
It’s not easy being green. As drought continues across broad regions of the U.S. (and the world) and heat reaches unprecedented levels for ever-longer intervals, green becomes a red flag to legislative bodies. Teir intent is good—seeking to preserve adequate water supplies for basic human needs. Teir methods, however, are often misguided, based on their perception of natural grass solely as a water user without consideration of the mitigating environmental and societal benefits it provides. Tus, natural grass is under attack—again.
California Metro Cuts Outdoor
Watering to One Day a Week One-third of Southern Californians face new restrictions limiting outdoor watering to one day a week under an unprecedented action taken by the Metropolitan Water District (Metro) on April 26, 2022, to dramatically reduce water use in communities most affected by the state’s historic drought. Te restrictions apply to dozens of cities and communities in Los Angeles, Ventura, and San Bernardino counties—home to about six million Southern Californians. Te new restrictions were implemented on June 1, 2022.
Tese communities depend on water from Northern California, via the State Water Project (SWP). Metro declared a drought emergency for the SWP-dependent areas in November 2021. Since then, California endured the driest January, February, and March in recorded history. Metro has cautioned that if enough water isn’t conserved in the coming months, or if supply conditions worsen, all outdoor watering could be banned in these communities as early as September.
California Bans Watering 'Non-
Functional' Grass in Some Areas And there’s more. On May 24, 2022, California water regulators adopted emergency drought rules following an executive order issued by Governor Gavin Newsom. Tose rules increase conservation requirements for water suppliers throughout the state and prohibit the watering of grass that is purely decorative at businesses and in common areas of subdivisions and homeowners associations. Te emergency regulations are to remain in effect for a year and may be extended by the state water board.
Te regulations outlaw the use of drinking water for irrigating “non-functional” grass at commercial, industrial, and institutional properties. Te ban doesn’t apply to yards at individual homes. Tere are also exemptions for sports fields, grassy areas where people gather, and for watering to keep trees
TPI Turf News July/August 2022
healthy. While the water board considers any part of a golf course used for the game of golf, such as greens and fairways, as functional, they have directed the water agencies and golf courses to evaluate whether other turf on a golf course property is functional or not. At all sites, areas that are irrigated with recycled wastewater aren’t subject to the grass-watering ban.
Before adopting the regulations, the state water board made several revisions to accommodate certain special cases. On the bright side, one of those revisions allows water agencies to approve a request for watering “non- functional” grass if the property owner can certify that it’s a type of low-water-use turf that requires a fraction of the water consumed by standard types of grass. Yet, cities and water districts in Southern California still are offering customers rebates to help cover the costs of converting lawns to drought-tolerant landscaping.
Colorado Approves $2 Million in
Cash for Grass Program Te bill creates a turf replacement program in the Department of Natural Resources to assist with the replacement of nonessential irrigated turf on residential, commercial, institutional, or industrial properties. Te legislation transfers $2 million from the General Fund to a newly created cash fund to implement the program. For more information, go to the link that follows. https://leg.
colorado.gov/bills/hb22-1151.
More Natural Grass Restrictions
Under Consideration In addition, TPI Executive Director Dr. Casey Reynolds reports that natural grass reduction and/or replacement programs are under consideration by legislative bodies in other areas. Te Austin, Texas, grass reduction bill is still under consideration through 2023 (
https://www.speakupaustin.org/water- forward-2024). A similar program is under consideration in Idaho. Broader legislation is under consideration by the North Carolina legislature addressing state funds and native plants. Tis bill bans state fund use for planting non-native plants, but in its current form, exempts non-native grasses (https://www.
ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2021/S0628).
While the turfgrass industry has faced similar challenges previously, the anti-natural grass actions are intensifying— and erupting on multiple fronts. It’s time to unite to ensure the solid, science-based facts are made known not only to legislators, but also to the public.
Suz Trusty is co-editor of Turf News. 65
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100
