Henderson switching to less-thirsty grass for city ballfields
North Las Vegas isn’t the only local government getting paid to take out its thirsty grass.
The Southern Nevada Water Authority board signed off last month on a roughly $1 million rebate for Henderson to convert 10 ballfields to a warm-season turf that uses less water.
The city will receive $1 per square foot through the authority’s Water Efficient Technology Program to replace about 1 million square feet of cool-season fescue grass with a hybrid Bermuda grass that goes dormant in winter, when it only needs to be watered about once a month.
Henderson spokeswoman Kathleen Richards said the change is expected to save 22.4 million gallons of water annually, enough to fill 34 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
But not everyone was happy with the rebate deal.
In his last meeting as a member of the authority board, outgoing Las Vegas City Councilman Bob Coffin voted against the payment to Henderson. He said the city doesn’t need the money, and he questioned whether the conversion will actually produce the predicted water savings.
Coffin said replacing grass with grass is an improper use of conservation funds and “sets a bad example” for valley residents. He also thinks $1 million is way too much to pay to spread some Bermuda grass seeds around.
“There are so many ways it will be a waste of money, it screams for more attention,” Coffin said.
Water authority spokesman Bronson Mack said the rules of the Water Efficient Technology Program were changed in November to encourage municipalities to use less-thirsty grass or replace little-used turf areas with “hardscapes” such as basketball courts or skate parks.
Mack said the incentive program is funded by operational revenue, most of it from the wholesale delivery charge the authority collects for the water it supplies to valley utilities.
The authority’s Water Smart Landscape program, which pays residents and businesses to replace grass with desert plants, is a separate conservation initiative funded mainly with bond revenue, he said.
According to Richards, six of the fields in Henderson will be converted gradually over the next two to three years via the planting of Bermuda seeds. The other four are baseball fields that will have their fescue ripped out and replaced by Bermuda sod this summer so they can be ready for heavy league use in the fall, she said.
Contact Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Follow @RefriedBrean on Twitter.
RELATED
North Las Vegas golf course using GPS to tear out turf
1
2
3
4
5
Aces waive 3 players, sign 1 in latest roster moves
Former Raiders head coach sells Henderson home for $4.8M
Exact A’s ballpark location in air; Bally’s open to partnering on new resort
CARTOONS: Trump and Biden are both worried about this
Fans boo after Canelo Alvarez won’t commit to facing unbeaten star
In the seven-day series The Water Question, the Review-Journal is taking an in-depth look at how long the river can sustain us, what’s being done to protect it and the implications for our community in the uncertain decades to come.
Water was such an afterthought in rural Clark County in 1922 that the state’s representatives happily accepted the smallest share of the river in exchange for construction jobs, tax revenue and access to cheap electricity.
The Las Vegas Valley will still be able to access its share of the water through a deep new straw in Lake Mead, but its supplies are likely to be cut as river users in seven states deal with overuse of the resource.
Experts caution it won’t solve the underlying problems that are driving the overtaxed river’s decline and say more action will be needed to avoid a calamity.
The Las Vegas Valley already has reduced the amount of water it uses even as its population has grown substantially, but water managers say more savings will be required to meet the demands of growth.
Residents and cities are buying into the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s campaign against ornamental sod. Since 1999, more than 187 million square feet of grass have been removed and untold millions more were never planted.
Las Vegas Valley water managers opened the community’s first water savings account 20 years ago, literally banking on the day thevalley could no longer live on its Colorado River allotment alone.
Former Southern Nevada Water Authority chief Pat Mulroy is championing a plan that would leave more water in the Colorado and replace it with desalinated ocean water pumped from Mexico to Southern California.
It seems like a simple question: How many people can Southern Nevada support with the water it has now? But the answer is far from easy.
The community can continue to grow, so long as residents are willing to do what needs to be done to stretch that crucial — and finite — resource as far as it will go, experts say.
The home in the Anthem Country Club in Henderson sold for $4.8 million, with the sale recorded by the county on May 1.
A multi-agency operation targeting online child sex predators led to 18 arrests in Henderson last weekend, according to authorities.
The Utah-based indoor pickleball chain, Picklr, announced when it would open its first location in Clark County.
Starting Wednesday, Las Vegas Valley homeowners will be allowed to water their lawns up to six days a week, excluding Sundays.
A 71-year-old man was killed in Henderson, another man was killed in Summerlin, and a 29-year-old pedestrian was struck and critically injured in northeast Las Vegas.
A 71-year-old man in a wheelchair was struck by an SUV on Lake Mead Parkway while crossing the street outside of a marked crosswalk.
Henderson’s Inclusion Fusion hosts an array of social events, classes, activities and special programs for people with autism and other disabilities.
Law enforcement officials are urging caution when using any type of bank or ATM card in public because of the rise of skimming devices that can steal financial information.
It would be hard to produce a less likely superstar than the singing impressionist Danny Gans, whose death on May 1, 2009, left a hole in this city that’s yet to be filled.
The heaviest storm activity during the afternoon was in the mountains on the southern edge of Henderson.
Summer is almost here, Las Vegas. It’s time to reset your water clocks
Small earthquake hits near Henderson
Man in wheelchair dies after being struck by SUV in Henderson
Henderson motorcycle crash kills rider, injures passenger
Italian restaurant to open in west Henderson apartment community
Watch out for hornworms lurking in your garden