Should smaller lawns and drought-tolerant plants be required?
In an effort to ease the strains of drought, encourage lush landscapes and enhance photosynthetic landscapes, some west coast communities are taking aim at a beloved fixture of suburban domesticity: the lawn.
In an increasingly thirsty landscape, officials are drafting new laws that prohibit homeowners from installing a vast blanket of verdant grass — the sentimental site for pet and childhood play. Existing grass is safe, but the new rules to conserve water would restrict lawn size for new homes and new lawn-and-garden projects to as little as one-quarter of a home's overall landscaping. More turf is allowed only if homeowners do the math to prove they are conserving in other areas.
For a 2,000-square-foot yard, that's 500 square feet of grass — about the size of a two-car garage.
But could such measures become a concern for Georgia and other southeastern cities before long?
Based on recent rainfall, it may not seem so. As of late 2009 though Georgia FACES concluded that thanks to generous rains, Lake Lanier and Lake Hartwell basins had only improved to mild drought. The basins were previously in moderate drought.
So could the measures being put into place on the west coast help on the east coast as well? Perhaps the thought should be more focused on cities like Atlanta and Athens where population is dense and suburbs are rampant rather than large counties like Lamar and Pike.
GO!
Editors note:
The following three points are a brief summation of the conservation acts:
* Limit lawn around new homes to 1/4 of the total landscape. (More is allowed if homeowners can prove they're conserving water in other ways.)
* Require that 80 percent of the remaining landscape be native or drought-tolerant plants, all of which must be surrounded by 2" of mulch.
* Require "effective irrigation systems". (Does this mean irrigation is required or that if you have irrigation, it must be effective?)
For a 2,000-square-foot yard, that's 500 square feet of grass — about the size of a two-car garage.
But could such measures become a concern for Georgia and other southeastern cities before long?
Based on recent rainfall, it may not seem so. As of late 2009 though Georgia FACES concluded that thanks to generous rains, Lake Lanier and Lake Hartwell basins had only improved to mild drought. The basins were previously in moderate drought.
So could the measures being put into place on the west coast help on the east coast as well? Perhaps the thought should be more focused on cities like Atlanta and Athens where population is dense and suburbs are rampant rather than large counties like Lamar and Pike.
GO!
Editors note:
The following three points are a brief summation of the conservation acts:
* Limit lawn around new homes to 1/4 of the total landscape. (More is allowed if homeowners can prove they're conserving water in other ways.)
* Require that 80 percent of the remaining landscape be native or drought-tolerant plants, all of which must be surrounded by 2" of mulch.
* Require "effective irrigation systems". (Does this mean irrigation is required or that if you have irrigation, it must be effective?)
Besides, there is already a shortage of 'enforcement' personnel in agencies that need to be there ie: public safety.
If it were true, they would not start off their sentence with "Wow I'm a Democrat and I disagree with that."... as if democrats believe in over-regulation (exept when it comes to lawn care). It is merely a talking point of the republican attack machine...tax and spend.. blah blah blah
Besides, bad timing, kind of irrelevant to be whining about conserving water while we are being flooded and stuck in the mud for the past several months.
And that logic can be found in many other areas where some regulation is needed. Don’t always believe the “government regulation is always bad” hype. I am astounded that people can complain about anything..do you have a problem with a lower water bill? Do you think that government regulation in food and medicine is also a bad idea or do you think e. coli is good?
Our country is going down the drain because of Faux News and their misinformation propaganda machine.
Actually, I do agree that the lower water usage fixtures are good but that wouldn't make a very good blog post to agree with the gov't :) :) :)
Too many people let fear and greed rule over what passes for them as "thinking."
I remember at the peak of the last drought, the AJC ran an article about the wealthy in Buckhead and similar areas of Atlanta paying tens of thousands of dollars to drill into the deep water table, beyond the state's water restrictions, to water the landscapes they had already spent tens of thousands of dollars on.
#12, you dont own the water. until you do then you can tell me what to do with it. otherwise put a cork in it.
government has nothing to do but pass stupid laws? they need to worry about the mess they already made and get their minds off making another one. the only thing they are going to accomplish is a war against our own. those that need the government to think for them and those of us who dont.
Communism is coming in loud and clear!!
This is the same idiotic thinking corporations have when they destroy the environment beyond repair. This earth does not belong
to us. We just have the privilege to live here for as long as the human race exist. This self absorbed, self righteous thinking is what has turned this world into our own massive garbage dump.
Whatever you already own now will not be affected. If you are buying a new home, this may....MAY... become an issue someday.
Colorado is a dry state. Our property size there was affected because of the cost of land. But I can see that lot size there could be impacted because of the water situation.