Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
flower.org/plants/): easily searchable database by state, habi-
tat, lifespan, and more.
U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Plant Conservation
Alliance (http://www.nps.gov/plants/): Click on “Native Plant
Landscaping Guides & Websites” for various options.
Plant Conservation Alliance's wiki (http://www.plantconser va
tionwiki.org/wiki/Native_plant_landscaping_information):
state information and other useful links.
WATER TALES
The Southern Nevada Water Authority, a leader in con-
sumer water conservation, urges its customers to save
water and cash by replacing ordinary, water-devouring
grass and shrub landscaping with water-smart trees, shrubs,
and fl owers. Every square foot of the converted landscap-
ing saves 55 gallons of water a year.
As incentive, its Water Smart Landscapes program offers rebates
to customers of $1.50 per square foot of grass removed and replaced
with desert landscaping (low-water-use xeriscaping, for example)
up to the fi rst 5,000 square feet converted per property per year.
Beyond the fi rst 5,000 square feet, the rebate is $1 per square foot.
To date the program has rebated more than $134 million to resi-
dential and commercial customers. That accounts for more than 125
million square feet of turf removed. The program's primary funding
is new connection charges.
For more information, check out http://www.snwa.com/html/
cons_wsl.html.
Richard Atwater also likes the look—and the savings of money
and water—that come with losing the traditional lawn. He's head
of the utility serving Southern California's Chino Basin, where out-
door water use in the arid climate can account for 50 to 70 percent
of total water use. At his home near Pasadena, California, Atwater
