Las Vegas is ripping up millions of square metres of grass lawns, including greenery along the iconic Las Vegas strip, as the city struggles with a decades-long drought made worse by climate change.
The state of Nevada outlawed decorative turf in 2021, leading to thousands of property owners across the city replacing grass with a mix of artificial turf and desert-friendly plants. The law does not apply to golf courses or private houses, but new homes are not allowed to use real grass.
Bronson Mack from the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the body responsible for water management in Las Vegas said in a statement that “the reality is that grass uses the equivalent of 73 gallons (332 litres) of water a year per square foot (30cm). In comparison, it takes 8 litres of water to flush the average toilet.”
The state receives much of its water from nearby Lake Mead, which also supplies California, Arizona and Mexico. But levels have dropped to an all-time low due to a sustained drought which has been exacerbated by climate change.
Reuters reported last week that the Colorado River is named the most endangered river in the US as the south-western states face water shortages.
“Over the next three years here in Las Vegas, they're going to convert about 180 million square feet (54 million square metres) of natural grass to azurescape. And much of that is going to be artificial turf,” said George Neagle from SynLawn, one of the largest US manufacturers of artificial landscapes.
While the new law does not apply to private homes that already have lawns, some homeowners are replacing their lawns voluntarily.
“It doesn't look like it's artificial grass to me. I feel like it's real, It feels good,” homeowner Linda Laird told reporters. Laird has lived in the city since 1985 and says she’s watched with horror as water levels in Lake Mead have plunged.
“I feel like if I can do my small part to help conserve some of our water here in Las Vegas, that I'm doing a small part to help everyone else,” she said.
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