Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
CONSERVATION'S ROLE
J. C. Davis, a resident of Boulder City, Nevada, since 1994, is typi-
cal not only of the average Nevadan but the average American in
that he hasn't really felt the impacts of drought or water shortages.
Although he's not an environmentalist, he does like to cut down on
unnecessary household chores and save money in the process. His
solution: Ditch the water-guzzling lawn, and opt instead for native
landscape.
“When I bought my current house in 2000, it was a turf land-
scape—okay, mostly weeds—and was sucking upward of 40,000 gal-
lons of water a month,” says Davis. “I converted the landscape to
drought-tolerant, low-water-use xeriscape not because I'm a water
guy, but because I hate mowing and edging when it's 118 degrees
outside. I love the look, love the maintenance, and haven't used
more than 6,000 gallons for watering the lawn in any month since,”
he adds.
In El Paso, Texas, efforts—including fi nancial incentives—to
promote water conservation have meant more than 3,000 home-
owners have removed more than 9 million square feet of grass and
replaced it with water-effi cient landscapes.
For water savings, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's)
WaterSense program advises lovers of lush lawns to consider water-
ing a little less. Test your lawn to determine whether it needs water.
Step on a patch of grass; if it springs back, it doesn't need additional
water.
Plenty of online sources can clue you in on what plants and
grasses are native to your area, and optimal ways to make use of that
vegetation. Here are a few:
Native Plants Database of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower
Center at the University of Texas at Austin (http://wild
