Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/62071
per day. We are using our clean water supplies not only to drink, but to irrigate, flush toilets and wash cars and driveways.It is also estimated that the average homeowner uses as much as 40% more water on their lawns than the plant requires. hy is grass becoming such a bad guy? In addition to providing aesthetic and leisure benefits, turf grasses filter pollutants, capture rainwater, control erosion, dissipate heat, abate noise, reduce glare, and lower energy costs. If that sounds like a sales- pitch for trees, it is because the grass plant is the same biological entity as the leaf of a tree. Although the benefits of trees are widely known, beneficial facts about grass do not have the same audience. The turfgrass industry is well versed in some historical examples of worthy causes which have been promoted by the use of questionable scientific data. One misconception is that we should reduce water usage by a large percentage. The irrigation of plant material should never be reduced by more than 10% or 20%. Sprinkler irrigation flow rates that were established in the 1950 s (and modified slightly since) included an allotment of water flow to ensure some annual drainage for the protection of soils. A reduction of flow rates of more than 10% or 20% will introduce the probability of salt build-up and decline of soil health to the point of losses and total loss of crop production. This warning has been in effect throughout the last century worldwide. Well known is the tragic destruction of ancient irrigated lands with no drainage (Egypt). Soils were destroyed by salinization. Salts come from the irrigation water and are left behind when the crop takes up the water. Another misconception is the water crisis. The real issue is a limited clean drinking water supply for an increasing population. We will not run out of water. Water is not a renewable or non-renewable resource. We should refer to the crisis as a limited amount of available, usable water. Water is not consumed, as some would have you think it is simply recycled. Education, updated and efficient irrigation systems, and alternate irrigation and water sources could go a long way in preserving our clean drinking water supply. We need educational tools on the efficient use of clean drinking water. The average person in North America uses 1800 gallons a day; the average person in underdeveloped countries uses 12 gallons The next step taken in this ridiculous movement is the trend in offering incentives to limit or remove turf. Many well-meaning people and organizations are being told that using water on turf is water waste. The fact is that the turf grass plant is using the water not wasting it. It is a vessel in the hydrogen cycle. Golf courses and athletic fields are somewhat protected due to the health and leisure benefits surrounding the activities that are played there. Urban Parks and individual property owners on the other hand, are being encouraged to eliminate or limit the amount of grass planted. An example is the Water Wise program; the Irrigation Association has been working diligently for three years to have theprogram take option 2 off the table. Option 2 would have allowed the developer to eliminate 60% of the proposed lawn areas in single family new homesinstead of using a water-budget tool.Also, in many cities in California, Texas, and Nevada there is a Cash for Grass program where homeowners are paid to remove their lawns. Las Vegas estimates that over 150 million square feet of turf has been removed in a five year period. Now, although these areas have limited water supplies, there seems to be no incentive to educate people on alternatives such as different irrigation sources(such as effluent), encouraging the use of water conservation tools, or planting other grass species.It is also noted in the recorded water savings that part of Cash for Grass program includes the requirement that the homeowner installs a more efficient irrigation system which confuses the findings. If rebates or incentives are to be offered, they should be for the installation of ET controllers, rain sensors, or other water conservation tools so that plants are receiving optimum amounts of water. Turf is becoming the bad guy through a questionable, though well intended, campaign that focuses solely on projected water savings without fully contemplating the potential environmental impact that may result. It also claims results that are not entirely based on fact. A mere 10% decrease in the amount of green space in a city can increase the urban surface temperature by 4… C. In removing so much plant material from the surface of an urban center, there may be unpleasant consequences in the future that we have not even attempted to understand or consider. We should encourage people to plant more grass, or at least to get out into public space or their backyard to enjoy the cool temperate environment a lawn can provide. Laura Adams works for the City of Penticton Parks Department and has a Diploma In Horticulture Turf Management from the University of Guelph.