Reasons to be Cheerful reported a new way for some Utah residents in Washington County to earn cash and save water: sell their lawns to their local government.
Why is the county ready to fork over dollars for lawns?
Washington County's already booming 200,000 population is expected to double by 2060, according to Reasons to be Cheerful. The hottest and driest county in the state relies on the Virgin River as its sole water source. Unfortunately, that river basin is under threat from drought due to our planet overheating, and its increasing population is already a strain, leading to overuse.
One conservation solution the county has come up with is encouraging homeowners to use more drought-resistant plants by buying their grass through its turf buyback program, which started in December 2022.
The Washington County Water Conservancy District has high hopes for the plan. Reasons to be Cheerful reported that they estimate that using regionally appropriate plants can reduce landscape water use from 56 gallons to 11 gallons per square foot.
Doug Bennett, conservation manager for the district, said, "I like to say it's as simple as check in, dig in, cash in," per Reasons to be Cheerful.
To take part, residents register for the program, a representative measures how many square feet of grass turf needs replacement, homeowners complete the switch within a year, and they get paid after another county inspection.
This effort is one of the many initiatives that local and nationwide governments are using to help the environment and protect endangered resources such as freshwater. This buyout plan from Washington County can prevent the area from experiencing a potential water crisis in the future, similar to what's happened in California.
In other good water conservation news, Lake Powell, located mostly in Utah, recently reached a three-year water-level high.
On the national level, the Inflation Reduction Act has allowed Americans to make their homes and vehicles more energy-efficient with tax rebates that offset costs. The initiative also funded drought mitigation programs and several improvements in water infrastructure.
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If you were to switch from a grass lawn to a more natural option, which of these factors would be your primary motivation?
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Making it look better 🌱 Everyone can do their part to save water and cool down the planet. In addition to using native plants that need less water, homeowners can practice conservation using ancient irrigation methods such as ollas or terracotta pots that slowly seep water into the soil.
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