What if saving water and money was as easy as letting your lawn go au naturel? Utah lawmakers think this can be a reality.
In January, the state legislature proposed earmarking $12 million to continue paying residents to give their thirsty, high-maintenance grass the old heave-ho.
Since 2019, Utah's turf buyback program has helped homeowners pull up over four million square feet of lawn. In return, participants get cash to landscape with climate-approved plants or hardscaping.
The result? Drought-tolerant yards that need little upkeep, which is beneficial given the water scarcity ailing the Great Salt Lake region.
Utah residents don't have to go all-or-nothing. Whether they downsize just one section or ditch the whole thing, they'll conserve resources, namely water and money. The program even gives extra funds to low-income and disabled residents.
If you don't live in Utah, you can take a page out of the Beehive State's book. Trading even one grassy patch for native blooms like coneflowers or blanket flowers invites helpful pollinators to your yard. Hardier choices like clover or buffalo grass thrive with less water.
Or, you can opt for xeriscaping with gravel, boulders, and cacti. The options morph your landscape into a beautiful commentary on water waste and environmental health.
Urban homeowners aren't the only ones who stand to save. The funding could help facilitate split-season leases that pay farmers to grow fewer water-hungry crops per year.
"When we look at water, there is not any more water being created today," said Mark Stafford, general counsel with the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District. "We need to look at what we are using today and find ways to be more efficient."
While Utah leads the turf-stripping pack, the future of our country looks green — with or without the lawn.
"If you are only walking on [your lawn] once a week to mow it, it could probably be turned into something else," suggested Candice Hasenyager, director of the Utah Division of Water Resources.
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