The now complete water-conserving landscaping at the Army National Guard Facility. Photos courtesy of the Long Beach Water Department.
On the third anniversary of what City officials call “one of the state’s premiere water conservation programs,” Long Beach’s Lawn-to-Garden program officially completed its largest project to date: removing 53,000 sq. ft. of water-thirsty grass in front of the Army National Guard Facility and replacing it with indigenous, drought-resistant plants.
With this project’s completion, the program has now removed more than one million square feet of grass across Long Beach.
The incentive program, which was introduced in April of 2010, provides payments to residents or businesses for removing turf, amounting to $3 per square foot removed.
The lawn during renovation.
Though more than a thousand local homes have taken part in the program, commercial properties have been slower to participate, with only 16 commercial properties removing their lawns to date. The Department hopes that the size of the National Guard Facility’s project—the program’s largest to date—will attract more commercial properties to do the same.
Annually, grass lawns require more than six times the amount of water as do drought tolerant landscapes, meaning that as additional Long Beach homes convert to drought tolerant landscapes, long-term water savings will also increase. This is important largely due to water shortages across the state as well as a perpetually dwindling supply of imported water. Even further, indigenous gardens lack pesticides and chemicals associated with maintaining lawns while also decreasing greenhouse effects.
Read more:
- National Guard Nears Completion on City’s Largest Lawn-to-Garden Project
- IN PICTURES: 2nd Annual Long Beach Lawn-to-Garden Tour
- Creating a Naturally Long Beach-Friendly Garden
- Long Beach Water Department Honored for Its Green Leadership
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