One solution that benefits property owners as well as
the community is Xeriscaping.
Xeriscaping consists of using native, drought-resistant plants and a gravel or
pebble ground cover instead of grass.
Xeriscaping requires no supplemental watering and is nearly maintenance-free
for the property owner. While somewhat
more expensive to implement initially, the long-term benefits in terms of cost and
conservation are well worth it.
The City of Austin currently has a rebate program for
converting turf grass into “native plant beds and permeable hardscape,” but the
incentives do not go far enough. New
residential developments should be required to incorporate drought tolerant
landscapes that are visually appealing and require no supplemental water. Requiring new developments to implement
drought tolerant techniques would ease the burden on our limited water supply
and encourage homeowners with existing grass lawns to convert. Developers can play a big part in diverting
the massive amount of water used on grass lawns to more purposeful uses, such
as parks, landmarks and agriculture.
Property rights are a contentious issue in Texas and
requiring a person to use their land in a certain way is always
controversial. Homeowner’s Associations had
previously prevented residents from xeriscaping their lawns believing they
would depress property values, but in 2013, the State passed a law guaranteeing all
homeowners the right to replace their grass lawns with xeriscapes. As we go forward, the debate over water usage
rights will continue. Taking the step to
discourage and eliminate the widespread use of ornamental grass will make a
huge impact benefiting both current and future generations of Texans.
In an article by The Lonestar State stands alone, xeriscaping is offered as a solution to help decrease the amount of water that is being used in Texas. I agree that this would be a good idea especially since Texas has many droughts and could be using this saved water elsewhere. I think that watering the lawn takes up a lot of water and the article says that “anywhere from 25% to 60% of household water consumption is used for landscaping”, which we should be conserving for other important uses such as drinking water. I have even seen sprinklers running while it is raining outside which just goes to show how wasteful it can be.
ReplyDeleteI have seen yards in other states, such as Nevada and New Mexico, which use xeriscaping for their yards and I think that it looks good. Some people may be opposed to switching from their lawns, but I think that it looks just as good and doesn’t need the sort of maintenance that grass does. In conclusion, I think that xeriscaping is a good plan and Texas should implement it in order to conserve water.
My colleague S. Singh recently wrote and article that addressed the issue of water use in Texas. It emphasized that water used in lawn care is unnecessary and offers a possible solution through the use of xeriscaping.
ReplyDeleteI find the idea of water conservation vital to the future of the state and the people that live here. Singh points out in his post that it takes a lot of water to maintain a green fresh lawn and a large portion of household water is used in making this happen. I completely agree with this point and have even witnessed this first hand in many neighborhoods. Water is more scarce than people think, many companies and house holds will set up automatic sprinklers that go off even when raining or water in the middle of the day when most of the water will evaporate and do little good to a lawn anyway.
Another point Singh made was the the use of xeriscaping to replace a lawn with native plants and gravel or pebble ground cover instead of grass. The expense at first would be high but would lead to cost savings later on and help with water conservation. While I agree that a solution should be met with lawn cares intensive water use the appeal of replacing ones lawn with native plants and rock overlay does not work for everybody. Singh also suggested the requirement of new residential developments to use xeriscaping for their lawns to further decrease water use but I also feel that this is not a good solution.
I believe the best way to promote water conservation in Texas would be to provide incentive to take part. As I mentioned before many people may not like the idea of xeriscaping and so alternatives like native Texas grasses that can handle the heat without water might be better. Further informing the public about water conservation might also be a viable solution as many people don't know the true seriousness about Texas drought. Even when intensive fails I don't believe the forcing of lawn conversions in new neighborhoods is the way to go nor is this really helping the overall problem. Many companies have the ability to pay for as much water as they could possibly need so water conservation of any kind might not a top priority. In cases like this laws limiting water use on lawns would be more effective and would effect a lot more people.
Conserving water in Texas is of great importance and is a must if we want to continue to have water in the future. The upkeep of lawns takes a lot of water and needs to be met with a solution that works for us all and allows us to play an active roll in water conservation.