Las Vegas locals are fired up over a plan officials say would save the drought-stricken city 82 million gallons of water a year — but get rid of grass in parks and replace the green space in at least one with artificial turf.
Officials approved a $4 million rebate last week for the city to remove grass in some parks through a cash-for-grass incentive program that would help the Colorado River Basin’s diminishing water supply.
While city officials say the grass being removed is non-functional and will be replaced with drought-resistant plants, some community members fiercely oppose the plan. The critics argue that ripping up grass can kill existing trees, and that clearing too much grass — which helps lower temperatures — will make the sweltering Nevada desert even hotter.
Laura McSwain, a lifelong Las Vegas resident, founded the neighborhood group, the Water Fairness Coalition, to advocate against what she described as destructive water policies from the city and its water provider, Southern Nevada Water Authority.
“They’re creating policies that are adding heat to our environment — it’s being done on the backs of taxpayers — all while they’re saying that this is all about conservation. Well, it’s not. When you exacerbate the temperatures, more water is needed,” McSwain told The Independent.
Las Vegas residents already have to abide by strict water use regulations and a hefty price tag on the limited water they have. A law going into effect in January will take measures further and make it illegal to use water delivered by SVWA to irrigate “non-functional turf,” or decorative grass that serves only aesthetic purposes.
The city says it plans to remove some grass from 15 parks, and seven of the projects have already been completed, city spokesman Jace Radke told The Independent.
Radke stressed that most of the grass being removed is in unusable areas like parking lot islands. He also noted that only two parks will have artificial turf added: Cragin Park and Bettye Wilson Soccer Complex, which will have artificial turf built on a plot that does not currently have grass.
“The city has not removed grass that is appropriate and used by the community,” Radke said. Examples of grass removal for recreational improvements include the creation of new pickleball courts at Lorenzi Park and a new outdoor pool at the Veterans Memorial Community Center.
While the city says it is working with SVWA to “balance water conservation with ensuring residents have beautiful parks, fields and recreation amenities,” those against the grass removal feel the city hasn’t held up its end of the bargain.
When the law banning water use on “non-functional turf” was passed, McSwain said that officials promised to protect parks and recreational areas. “Yet they are destroying the tree canopies throughout our mature neighborhoods by taking grass out from underneath them,” she said.
Stephenie Stephens, also a lifelong Las Vegas resident, told The Independent that the city now has to “flood” the rock surrounding remaining trees to keep them alive — whereas if they had just kept the grass, they wouldn’t need as much water.
“When I was first watching this happen, I thought I was in the Twilight Zone,” she said.
Both activists took issue with the city declaring parts of the local parks “non-functional.”
“Parks are intrinsically functional, especially in this climate. You know, when it’s too expensive for people to have green space in their own homes, they need a place they can go to escape,” Stephens said.
She added that her grandchildren love to run and play on the grassy knolls in their local park. She says those areas are now considered “non-functional” in many local parks and are “getting carved up, like huge, huge amounts, into rock.”
Another concern is the artificial turf, which is replacing grass in one of the green spaces, Cragin Park.
While there are a growing number of studies indicating that some artificial turf can contain forever chemicals, or substances that have been linked to cancer, the fake grass can also get dangerously hot. A University of Nevada, Las Vegas, study from 2008 found that the surface of artificial turf can reach up to 169 degrees.
McSwain noted that just last weekend, artificial turf at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, got so hot that players' cleats were melting during an NFL game between the Tennessee Titans and the Philadelphia Eagles. Players were forced to change their cleats multiple times as the temperature on the turf soared to 157 degrees Fahrenheit.
“The temperature [in Tennessee] was only 95 degrees outside,” McSwain said. “I can tell you, I have witnessed children playing on turf on a day that was 105, 106 degrees, and there was no cooling. Nothing.”
“I’m just grateful my kids are grown,” she added. “Childhood goes by so quickly that to try and fight this or deny your children the ability to play sports to avoid the toxicity and the heat.”
