Colorado leaders across the state are looking for ways to regulate turf grass amid constricting water resources, as the Colorado River Basin enters its 23rd year of a drought.
Bureau of Reclamation Chief Camille Calimlim Touton said during a Senate hearing in June that the state’s two largest reservoirs, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, are also at “historically low levels,” hovering at a 28% storage capacity.
Denver residents, who make up one-fourth of all Coloradans at 1.5 million people, use approximately 140 gallons of water per day, according to Denver Water.
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The average daily consumption is 178 million gallons, and the maximum daily consumption is around 369 million gallons. Residents use approximately 50% of their water consumption on landscaping.
On Wednesday, several Colorado River Basin municipalities across the state sent a Memorandum of Understanding to Touton emphasizing their commitment to conserve and reuse water.
Denver Water CEO Jim Lochhead said in an interview with the Washington Examiner that the Colorado River is in “crisis” and so far, the basin states, with various agricultural interests, have failed to come to any agreement. He said it was important for municipal utilities to show their commitment to addressing the water situation.
“And also, [we] demonstrate that it’s possible for water users across state lines, and in both the upper and lower basins, to come together to agree to step forward and do something to help the situation,” he said.
Among the utilities’ goals are starting programs that will replace “non-functional or passive cool weather turf grass” by 30%. There is also a push to install climate and drought-resistant landscapes that will preserve tree canopies and other vital urban areas, according to the memorandum.
Lochhead said turf is extremely complex and expensive to take care of, both in maintenance and water usage. He said it is time to create these drought-tolerant landscapes.
“At the same time, we need to make sure that we preserve urban tree canopies within our service areas,” he said. “That’s particularly true in underserved communities where, really, the natural landscape of trees and drought-tolerant landscaping is really a benefit to those communities.”
Several city councils throughout the state are taking steps to regulate turf, as well, as they believe the lawns are unsustainable, Axios reported.
In Aurora, the conservative-majority city council passed an ordinance on Monday banning the installation of “cool-weather” turfs for both homes and golf courses to reduce the city’s water consumption, the Denver Post reported. Turfs can continue to be installed in schools or active recreational areas, but may not be used for aesthetic purposes.
Denver, a more left-leaning city, is looking to limit water consumption as well, according to Axios. The city council is drafting a proposal similar to Aurora’s that will “establish a water regulation cap and limit developer’s use of turf to areas that serve community benefits.”
Since 2000, both Denver and Aurora Water have reduced per capita water use by 36%, the memorandum stated.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman and Denver City Councilwoman Amanda P. Sandoval for comment on these ordinances.
The Colorado Legislature also made advances to replace the turf throughout the state. Earlier this year, the state House passed a bill that would create a turf replacement program to replace “nonessential irrigated turf on residential, commercial, institutional or industrial properties” with more sustainable options. The program will begin in April 2023.
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With climate change significantly affecting the state, the Colorado Water Conservation Board, through the Department of Natural Resources, released the Colorado Water Plan, which calls on the nine river basins to identify projects needing funding to fight against water scarcity. The plan estimates that 1,800 projects have already been identified, costing about $20 billion.
The plan, still in its draft stage, will consider public comments until the end of September before releasing the final version in early 2023, Colorado Public Radio reported.
