Despite the recent rains, Cecilia Griego, the city of Redlands’ water conservation coordinator, warns that this is our third consecutive dry winter.
“We’re still in a drought,” Griego said.
Our limited rainfall, along with the increasing cost of water, is prompting more area residents to consider replacing some or all of their lawn with waterwise alternatives.
The timing is good. More extensive water-efficiency rebate programs are in the works by Redlands and other Southern California cities. Also, residents are becoming aware of other benefits of native plants and drought-resistant landscapes.
This is the first in a series of three articles on how to replace lawns and plan waterwise landscaping, featuring area residents who have done the process already.
In 2008, my husband and I embraced drought-tolerant landscaping when the Redlands home we moved into was great — except for the dead lawn. For Redlands resident Brenda Wolfe, the change to drought-tolerant landscaping was spurred by drainage issues in her yard and a longtime attraction to succulents.
Highland resident Molly Bogh urged water conservation for years in her job as a city planner. Then one day her son asked why they still had a large lawn, so she spearheaded a personal project to walk her talk.
Water and maintenance savings
Even though many of us wince when we open our water bills, are we really overusing water? In 2012, the most recent figures available, Redlands residents used 345 gallons per person every day.
While showers, laundry and dishwashing makes up some of that water use, landscaping accounts for about half, with lawns a primary use.
How this compares to other cities might be a surprise. The national average is around 145, meaning Redlands residents use more than twice the average. Chicago, which gets more than double the precipitation, uses less than 90 gallons per person.
However, we’re not the highest. According to the California Department of Water Resources, Palm Springs residents top the list, at 736 gallons.
Income plays a role. In the Bay Area, the affluent town of Hillsborough averages 334 gallons, while residents in working-class East Palo Alto 14 miles away use one-fourth that amount.
The 2001 book “Blue Revolution: Unmasking America’s Water Crisis” claims that lawns make up America’s greatest crop, evident in satellite images that show lawns encompassing about 63,000 square miles and using nearly 20 trillion gallons of water. The high prevalence of lawns in the arid Southwest is especially questioned.
Many residents who have replaced their lawns attest to water bill savings. The city of Santa Monica runs a demonstration project that features two gardens — a garden featuring native plants and a traditional garden with an irrigated lawn. A nine-year case study showed the native-plant garden used 83 percent less water, generated half the green waste and cut maintenance by more than half.
Additional rebate incentive in the works
Is the city getting calls about water-efficient replacements?
“Oh my, we’re getting so many calls. I’m assuming it’s because of the drought,” Griego said.
“We’re working on a rebate program for conversion from turf to drought-tolerant plants, and right now we’re researching the estimated savings to establish the rebate amount.”
Current city of Redlands rebates cover lawn replacements with no-water-use landscaping such as synthetic turf or decomposed granite, so this will offer a specific rebate that previously fell under an “other” category.
Griego said a waiting list exists, with a recent $25,000 allocation from the City Council allowing a continuation of this fiscal year’s rebate program. The program gives residents a 90-day window from pre-inspection to post-inspection, with both required for rebate eligibility.
More than financial benefits
The Theodore Payne Foundation in Sun Valley, which runs a non-profit nursery selling native plants and seeds, is reporting a brisk business these days. Lily Singer of the foundation reports that people are interested in creating habitat gardens that attract birds, native butterflies and other insects that appear with the native plants.
Highland’s Molly Bogh said her lawn was rarely used.
“It was flat, hot and boring out there. There was no place to sit and nothing to do. The new garden design includes a shaded courtyard with seat walls surrounded by trees. Now we love sitting out there with family and friends, watching hummingbirds while the kids play on the rocks,” Bogh said.
Bogh’s advice is to think about lawn conversion as a great opportunity to expand your outdoor living area, while cutting the water bill.
How to kill your lawn
There are a number of ways to kill lawns. Some start by cutting off the water supply — but it’s good to let neighbors know your plan first. With our lawn dead already, we hired someone to remove the top four to six inches. We did need to pull grasses that appeared for the first couple years.
Others use solarization, an especially effective method in spring through summer, in which plastic is stretched over the lawn for a month or more, which results in high temperatures that kill the grass.
Some opt for herbicides. Bogh chose this method to kill about 6,000 square feet of Bermuda grass because of Bermuda’s deep underground rhizome. The lawn was scraped and hauled away.
“Killing the lawn this way allowed us to start building the new garden within a few weeks, instead of spending months with a pick and shovel digging out Bermuda roots,” Bogh said.
There is information on the Internet about different techniques or you can check with a nursery that specializes in drought-tolerant alternatives, such as Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Gardens or the Theodore Payne Foundation.
Upcoming waterwise landscape contest
Aside from the rebate programs offered by more cities, Inland Empire residents who convert should consider applying for the Western Waterwise Landscape Contest, sponsored by the area water districts, which includes monetary rewards.
Redlands resident Brenda Wolfe was the local winner of the 2012 Western Waterwise Landscape Contest, chosen to represent the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District. Our yard won the previous year for the area.
For anyone who has already done a conversion, applications for the 2014 contest will be accepted April 1 through June 1.
Linda Richards lives in Redlands. Her website www.ifnaturecouldtalk.com is dedicated to speaking for the natural world. Contact her at linda @ifnaturecouldtalk.com
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