SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Thirty water agencies that supply cities across the western United States are pledging to rip up lots of decorative grass to conserve water in the over-tapped Colorado River. Water agencies in Southern California, Phoenix and Las Vegas were among those that signed an agreement Tuesday that outlines broad commitments to reduce water use.
The grass-removal commitment centers on turf that
people don't walk on and generally not grass in backyards or parks.
Cities use about one-fifth of the region's Colorado River water, and some have already begun paying businesses and home owners to voluntarily replace grass with drought-resistance landscaping.