Monday, July 12, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

SAVING WATER: Schools don't go with flow

District removing turf, taking other conservation steps

Dan Elisarraras, a Clark County School District irrigation systems technician, explains some of the district's water-saving strategies. Water-saving landscaping is in place at the CCSD Facility Service Center on Military Tribute Drive in Henderson. Raymond Elzy installs an irrigation system in a desert landscaping area at the CCSD Facility Service Center in Henderson. Photos by Gary Thompson.

Southern Nevada's approaching drought emergency has the Clark County School District stripping out its green.

And that's no small feat. With 289 schools and 189 acres of athletic fields, play areas and landscaping, the district is the largest single water user in Southern Nevada.

"If you listen to what (Southern Nevada Water Authority General Manager) Pat Mulroy has been saying, we'll face a drought emergency by January 6, at the latest," said Paul Gerner, associate superintendent of facilities. "So we're just trying to stay ahead of the problem."

The grounds of new schools already are designed with water efficiency in mind. At older schools, the district is taking out grass where possible and replacing it with desert landscaping or shrubbery. The district is considering a plan to remove more than 2 million square feet of existing turf, which could save an estimated 60 million gallons of water a year. In dollars, that means the district could reduce its water bill by more than $150,000 a year.

"It's a long-range plan, and not everything is going to happen this year," said Larry Outlaw, the sprinkler repair supervisor for the district. "But we've already cut back to watering at 80 percent. And we're only using Bermuda grass, which holds up better and requires less water."

Water conservation isn't a new issue for Clark County schools. In 2003, the district removed 242,359 square feet of turf and ornamental landscaping, with the largest chunks of land converted to parking lot expansions at West and Johnson middle schools. Carson Elementary School traded in its grass for a playground expansion. Clark, Basic and Bonanza high schools all received theater expansions, which reduced water usage.

But conservation measures will become more aggressive in 2004. Valley High School will be the first in the district to have a football field of artificial turf. If the experiment goes well, the use of artificial turf will be expanded to other high schools.

"We're going to have to experience one full season with it," Gerner said. "We want to see how it handles wear and tear, and how it goes through the summer. We want to try to have one such field in each of the district's five regions."

According to an operations report released in June by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the water level at Lake Mead is expected to be at 1,124.8 feet above sea level by year's end, its lowest point in 39 years. Anything below 1,125 feet at the start of a new year will prompt the water authority to declare a drought emergency because no surplus water is available from the Colorado River, which supplies the Las Vegas Valley with about 90 percent of its water.

With that would come a new set of watering restrictions. It's one reason the district is moving away from grass and embracing desert landscaping. Grass has to be watered every day, Outlaw said. But desert-friendly trees, shrubs and plants can look pleasing and require watering only once a week.

That makes a big difference, Outlaw said, considering that an average elementary school's outdoor water usage is about 14,000 gallons a day. High schools require about 60,000 gallons a day for outdoor use.

"We're controlling as much water usage as we can," Outlaw said, adding that school sites have been good partners by calling in sprinkler malfunctions or suggesting grass removal.

In 2002, the district consumed more than 2.8 billion gallons of water at a cost of $5.6 million. Outdoor water use accounted for about 78 percent of that. In August, the district will add another 13 schools and about 308 acres. That addition, coupled with what the district expects will be a 29 percent hike in water rates, could increase the district's water bill by $2 million, according to a draft of the district's water conservation plan.

Such figures have prompted the district to look at indoor water consumption as well as outdoor usage. Gerner said the district is studying the use of waterless urinals in restrooms. Some already have been installed in district facilities, and if they prove to be practical, their use will be expanded.

"We're looking at everything we can do," Gerner said.