The era of lush, green California lawns moved a dramatic step closer to ending Wednesday.
Drought tolerant plants must dominate lawns surrounding new homes and businesses across California under new regulations unanimously approved by the California Water Commission.
The new rules effectively limit the amount of turf grass around newly-constructed homes to 25 percent of landscaped area. Under prior rules, turf grass could take up about one third of landscaped area.
The restrictions will apply to all homes with more than 500 square feet of landscaped area, essentially all new detached homes in the state. Old rules only applied to homes with more than 2,500 square feet of landscaped area. California detached homes, on average, feature about 3,000 square feet of landscaping, state officials said.
The new restrictions also effectively eliminate any turf grass or other thirsty plants around new commercial and public development, with a few exceptions, state officials said.
Gov. Jerry Brown ordered the California Department of Water Resources to strengthen landscaping restrictions as part of his drought executive order in April. Beginning in December, municipalities will have to adopt rules that are at least as strict as the state’s new “model ordinance.”
State officials made no apologies for the tougher regulations.
“The real driving force behind the model ordinance is to reduce the square footage of turf,” said Mark Cowin, director of the Department of Water Resources, in an interview with The Sacramento Bee.
"It's going to save so many acre-feet" of water, added Nancy Vogel, spokeswoman for the Natural Resources Agency, the department’s parent.
Vogel added that businesses will have to justify their development of large swaths of grass.
"You can't really have turf because it looks pretty," she said. "You have to prove that you're using it for weddings or gatherings or whatever."
Response among developers and industry was mixed. Homebuilding executives said the industry will adapt to the new regulations.
"The industry is already adjusting to some degree in how they plant front yards," said Greg Paquin of The Gregory Group, a Folsom homebuilding consultant.
He said he visited a recently built development Wednesday in the Serrano community, in El Dorado Hills, and found very little in the way of traditional lawns. "There's no grass - it's all natural vegetation,” Paquin said. “There are alternatives that we're starting to see."
Tim Murphy, chief executive of the Sacramento Regional Builders Exchange, said the proposal would add several layers of complexity to California's already regulatory heavy development environment, and some of the smaller irrigation contractors may struggle to adapt.
But he said California's increased emphasis on water savings is "the new normal."
"This will be more cumbersome," he said, "But in the long run, this will be more beneficial to our state, and we have to adapt.”
Ed Zuckerman, president of Stockton-based Delta Bluegrass Company, said the new rules would unnecessarily kill off lawns in California - and might do the same to his and other sod farmers' businesses.
In a typical year, he farms between 1,000 and 2,000 acres of sod depending on the demand.
"If you like to live in Phoenix, Arizona, with gravel in your front yard and no irrigated landscape," he said, "that's what some people would like to push."
He said that while lawns have become pariahs in the drought, they're more beneficial than they get credit for because he said they keep urban areas cool. He worries that when the drought ends, the state's landscaping ordinance will be stuck in place even if homeowners want their grass back.
"You better watch out for what you hope for," Zuckerman said. "You're going to have dust storms in cities, and heat islands in cities, like you've never seen before, and energy bills soaring."
Meanwhile, Sacramento-area residents reduced their water use by 35 percent in June, the first month of mandatory statewide conservation, compared to June 2013, according to an analysis released Wednesday by the Regional Water Authority.
As the drought continues in its fourth year, the conservation figures suggest area residents are working to comply with Gov. Jerry Brown’s executive order mandating 25 percent reduction in urban water use compared to 2013.
The June savings weren’t as dramatic as in May, when relatively cool weather enabled Sacramentans to reduce usage by 40 percent. Nonetheless, officials said they were impressed with the results for June, considering the hotter weather.
“While the June savings are impressive, it is critical that residents continue saving – and do even more, if possible – in July and August,” said Amy Talbot, the water authority’s water efficiency program manager, in a prepared statement. “Conserving now will help preserve our local water supplies, including Folsom Reservoir, as well as meet water conservation targets set by the state water board.”
At the Sacramento County Water Agency, water use fell by 41 percent compared to June 2013. Posting big conservation numbers during the summer is necessary if the region is going to meet mandated targets, said water agency spokeswoman Diane Margetts.
“This an excellent number but it is important to remember we need to achieve an average reduction of 32 percent,” she said. “We need to be reaching these high numbers now when the opportunity to conserve is highest – as outdoor water use is highest – because in the fall and winter outdoor water use is normally minimal so the opportunity to conserve is really reduced.”
All of the region’s largest water suppliers cut use by at least 30 percent in June compared to the same month in 2013, according to a Bee survey of district officials.
“Considering the heat and dry weather, June was a good month,” said Placer County Water Agency spokesman Ross Branch. His district’s customers cut water use by 32 percent in June.
Roseville customers cut water use by 39 percent in June. Bobby Alvarez, the city’s interim water conservation administrator, said he expects big numbers in July too. “We are trending really well,” he said. “If you drive around the neighborhoods, you can see a lot of golden brown out there.”
Statewide conservation figures for June haven’t been released yet. Urban Californians cut their water use by 29 percent in May, the last month of voluntary cutbacks.
Targets for water use cuts vary by water district under Brown’s order, with areas with historically heavy per-capita water use, like the Sacramento area, needing to conserve more. Most Sacramento water agencies have to save 28 to 36 percent compared to 2013.
Water Use Cuts in June in the region’s largest agencies (compared to June 2013)
June Cut
| ||
City of Sacramento
|
475,122
| |
California-American Water Company
|
201,418
| |
Sacramento Suburban Water
|
174,304
| |
Sacramento County Water Agency
|
162,681
| |
El Dorado Irrigation District
|
128,500
| |
Roseville
|
122,946
| |
Placer County Water Agency
|
94,318
| |
Citrus Heights Water District
|
67,333
| |
Davis
|
65,783
| |
Folsom
|
60,347
| |
Woodland
|
56,610
|
Source: Bee interviews with district officials
Measur
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