Like most Arizonians, I was not born here. I moved here because of my love for the desert. I have always been amazed at the disconnect between the environment in which we live and the use of resources like water. This article in the Arizona Republic outlines some of why Maricopa and Pima counties differ on water consumption.
I was astonished when I moved to Arizona and found no water use restrictions. I have lived in various cities in the South East and without exception they all had water use restriction of some sort. Keep in mind that most of these cities get a lot of rainfall and are green and lush places.
I know it will anger many of my smug friends from Tucson who think Maricopa County is the root of all evil, but I am not sure Pima County is much better.
Why is any developer able to use grass for landscaping? It would be difficult to eliminate the existing grass, but why can't we eliminate it in new developments? Why do people move here and expect something that the natural environment will not support?
My neighbors were angry when I had the grass removed from my yard. They felt that it detracted from the looks and value of their homes. The only way to make them angrier was when I reminded them that we live in a desert...
The disconnect seems to be so large that I am at a loss as to what should be done...
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To conserve water, Las Vegas pays people to remove grass. It has been very successful.
I have read about that... It does seem like a good idea. I was recently looking at a house in a new development and was shocked when the developer told me the landscaping would be mostly grass. It was one of the reasons we decided to stay in our current house.
It would be nice if we would take our ounce of prevention now, instead of our pound of cure later...
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