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https://reasonstobecheerful.world/this-utah-county-will-buy-your-lawn-to-save-water/>
"The Virgin River cuts through a towering red rock gorge flanked by forested
plateaus as it meanders through Washington County in southern Utah. The river
is the primary source of water for the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the
United States, which includes the city of St. George. Washington County is the
largest employment center in southwest Utah, with a population of 200,000 that
is expected to double by 2060.
It’s also the hottest and driest county in Utah, and it’s dependent on a
singular water source: the Virgin River Basin. But the Virgin’s waters are
thinning from climate-change induced drought and overuse. Water conservation is
necessary to meet the increasing demands of growth, and Washington County
boasts some of the toughest measures in Utah — including a bold program to
“buy” residents’ grass as a way to get them to swap in less water-dependent
plants.
Grass is thirsty. Statewide, 70 percent of residential culinary water is used
on lawns. By shifting landscaping away from grass and to plants more readily
adapted to the climate, the Washington County Water Conservancy District
estimates that residents can reduce landscape watering to 11 gallons per square
foot annually, compared to 56 gallons for conventional turf."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
