Conserving Water in Los Angeles

As California drought concerns have increased, so have the sales of artificial turf. Mayor Garcetti has reduced water consumption by roughly 17 percent in the past seven years and has further ambitions to lower consumption another 20 percent within two and a half years. This plan has voluntary guidelines for residents of Los Angeles and mandatory water-use cuts at city facilities, including parks. With more than 80% of the city’s water being imported, it is clear to see why droughts have become a major issue for California.

With concerns that conservation techniques need to evolve throughout California, Garcetti has ordered city departments to reduce their water consumption and to replace lawns and plants with more drought-tolerant landscaping at sidewalk parkways, street medians and landscaping for city facilities. Residents of Los Angeles are also encouraged to replace their lawns with artificial grass with the DWP’s turf replacement incentive of up to $3.75 per square foot of grass. Roughly 50 percent of residential consumption comes from outdoor water use and is an important factor to address when trying to conserve water for California.

To help residents of Los Angeles reduce their water consumption voluntarily, residents are urged to limit watering their lawns to only two days a week. This may mean that residents have to choose between having a green lawn and conserving water; if having a green lawn all year-round is more important, a better option may be to have an artificial grass installed*.  Residents are also asked to fix any plumbing fixtures or appliances that could be wasting large amounts of water and to invest in pool covers to reduce water lost from evaporation.

If the targets are not met by the deadlines set by this initiative, July 1, 2015; Jan 1, 2016; and Jan 1, 2017, a combination of mandatory city actions and residential mandates will be implemented to help Los Angeles reach its mark, such as new watering mandates and swimming pool and car wash restrictions.

Not sure where to start in conserving water? Contact your local Turf Now!® and see how we can help you save money on your water bill and reduce your water consumption with a new artificial lawn today!