Replacing Lawns

This year our big theme at Eden By The Bay is “living with drought.” I’m on a quest for ideas that the home gardener can implement to help save water, not just for a dry season, but for decades to come. We don’t want to get rid of our landscapes, because they are beautiful and beneficial. But what fundamental practices and attitudes can we change to meet the water shortage challenge? Today I’m looking at lawns.

Lawns are green and beckoning and peaceful, but they require substantial water, fertilizer, and labor. We often install a lawn without considering the cost in water, or the alternatives. In California, the residential sector uses 5.6 million acre feet (MAF) of water, with 2.3 MAF going to our landscapes and lawns. In Alameda County, we use 173.9 gallons of water per person per day. The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) reports that 25% of external residential water usage goes to landscapes and lawns. That’s a lot of water!

Time to rethink our lawns!

Water saving alternatives include substantially reducing lawn size (if you have kids or pets, a small patch of lawn might be desirable), or replacing the lawn entirely with a low-water, low-maintenance landscape solution. Rebates may even be available, depending on where you live. Currently EBMUD is offering residential rebates up to $2,500 in the Bay Area to replace lawns and wasteful sprinkler systems with drip irrigation. The EBMUD web site provides the requirements, ideas, and access to some excellent planning tools: https://ebmud.com/water-and-wastewater/water-conservation/lawn-conversion-irrigation-upgrade-rebates