With Tucson facing record-setting heat amid a national heat wave, local water officials are getting proactive in their efforts to conserve water.
As KJZZ reports, city officials are specifically targeting the landscaping of businesses and apartment complexes. The new initiative dangles $5 for every square foot of highly water-dependent grass that is removed.
This program is occurring alongside the emerging anti-lawn movement in nearby Phoenix and a front lawn ban for new homes in Scottsdale.
By replacing grass with more drought-resistant plants and turf, the goal is to save more than nine million gallons of water over the next two years.
The emphasis on local landscaping is not a coincidence, according to Tucson Water administrator James MacAdam.
Unlike water used inside that can be recycled in the system, MacAdam noted to KJZZ that water used outside is "just being used once."
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A specific example is the ornamental lawn features that you might find in parking lots. Those cosmetic plots of grass you park next to look innocent enough.
However, MacAdam says that the city can save 36 gallons a year for each square foot replaced with more drought-resistant landscaping. When you think about all those slabs of grass, the amount of water that can be saved is enormous.
Beyond saving water, using native plants over manicured grass provides benefits for the local ecosystem, including plants, pollinators, and other local animals. These native plants will also require less fertilizer and be better suited to deal with the Southwest region's extreme heat and common pests.
While this initiative is currently limited to Tucson businesses and apartment complexes, homeowners in Tucson and elsewhere are considering rewilding as an eco-conscious and cost-saving move for their own yards. MacAdam told KJZZ that the program could extend to private homes in the future, which would provide even more incentive for local residents to substitute in more drought-resistant options.
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Ultimately, the cost of getting water to Tucson is high, and it's something the city knows it needs to address head-on. As MacAdam relayed, Tucson's water source is the Colorado River, and "that is coming from a long way" and "takes a lot of money, energy, resources."
As the new initiative takes off, Tucson can reap the benefits of converting to more drought-resistant plants that will save the city water, lower costs, aid the local ecosystem, and reduce the use of chemicals.
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