City gets ultimatum: Cut water usage by 40%, 'It will not be easy'

The city of Palm Springs is getting even more serious about its steep goals to curb water use.

California has mandated that Palm Springs decreases its water usage by 40% by 2040. The city is tackling decorative lawns on both public and private land first as part of an expansive effort, as The Palm Springs Post reported.

The state's ambitious water reduction targets mean that significant changes are a must for Palm Springs, according to Desert Water Agency representative Clark Elliott.

"You're talking about almost half of what we use today," Elliott said. "That is a lot of water to save, and it will not be easy."

Fortunately, the city has already made major progress through helping fund DWA's turf removal program. It's eliminated nearly a million square feet of grass over the last few years, per The Post.

That reduction has saved a remarkable 60 million gallons of water and 55 million tons of carbon pollution each year. The city's efforts are going into overdrive with a recently enacted Ordinance 80, and state Assembly Bill 1572.

Palm Springs must map out all decorative lawns and city-owned land with "non-functional turf" by June 30 of this year. By January 2027, it can no longer irrigate the turf with drinking water. Violators of the ordinance will face fines for repeated infractions.

"That self-certification form is essentially going to become our basis for enforcement," Elliott said.

Removal of the turf will save around a third of what the city needs for the 40% target. The remainder comes from a variety of sources like outreach with companies, device rebates, and improved metering infrastructure.

Interestingly, HOAs appear on board with the new restrictions, per The Palm Springs Post. The paper noted that commercial properties hadn't really processed the changes just yet. Some dents on their bottom line could quickly change that.

The steep 40% target is a consequence of the area's heavy water usage. While California is currently in a refreshingly drought-free moment, persistent droughts have been much more the norm for the state.

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