DENVER (AP) — Colorado lawmakers on Friday backed off a plan to conserve water by limiting the size of lawns in new developments, avoiding a clash between developers and environmentalists as the state tries to deal with limited water and a booming population.

Sen. Ellen Roberts, a Durango Republican, argued her case Friday before a Dust-Bowl-era photo of southeast Colorado and charts showing the state’s population. The Dust Bowl, which hit Colorado, Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle in the early 1930s, was caused by improper farming practices and forced thousands from their homes.