A new law aimed at increasing water efficiency will help businesses conserve nearly 10 percent of Southern Nevada’s water supply. The law, Assembly Bill 356, prohibits the use of water delivered by Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) member agencies to irrigate decorative grass in streetscapes, medians, parking lots, and other areas where it does not serve a recreational or functional purpose.
Business owners and property managers have until Jan. 1, 2027 to remove or replace nonfunctional grass. The law applies to commercial properties, HOAs, government agencies and multi-family developments in Southern Nevada and will save more than 9.5 billion gallons a year once fully enacted.
“We’ve been incentivizing the community to take out this kind of nonfunctional turf for the last 20 years through our conservation rebates, but with Colorado River shortage conditions and with the hydrology we’re seeing as the result of climate change in the Rocky Mountains, it was time to take the next step and simply not allow this type of nonfunctional turf to exist in our community in the future,” said SNWA General Manager John J. Entsminger.
Southern Nevada relies on the Colorado River for 90 percent of its water supply, which has been threatened by a severe, prolonged drought. Low water levels in Lake Mead, which serves as a reservoir, prompted the federal government to issue a water shortage declaration, reducing the amount of water the Las Vegas Valley may draw from the lake in 2022.
“During the past two decades, Southern Nevada has taken significant steps to prepare for these cuts, including constructing the Low Lake Level Pumping Station and storing unused water in reserve for our community’s future use,” Entsminger said. “But water conservation remains our most effective management tool, and we need to redouble those efforts to remain ahead of the curve and continue protecting the investments we have made in our community.”
Although the law essentially requires property owners to remove or replace nonfunctional turf, the SNWA continues to offer a cash incentive to help cover the costs of replacing the water-thirsty grass. While incentives are available, business owners and property managers may apply for the SNWA Water Smart Landscapes (WSL) rebate, which currently offers a cash incentive of up to $3 per square foot of turf replaced with drip-irrigated plants and trees. (Some restrictions apply.)
“There are a lot of property owners applying for these incentive dollars, so we’re urging everyone to begin the upgrade process earlier rather than later,” said SNWA Enterprise Conservation Manager J.C. Davis. He noted that rebate applications from HOAs and commercial properties have already increased dramatically, which may drive up costs for plant materials and landscape installation services.
To further boost water conservation, the SNWA Board of Directors recently passed two resolutions that restrict new turf installation and evaporative cooling systems in all new developments. The turf restriction targets all properties except schools, parks and cemeteries. Evaporative cooling systems exhaust 10 percent of Southern Nevada’s Colorado River allocation annually, and alternative technologies are available. The SNWA is working with its member agencies to adopt these initiatives into regulatory codes, ordinances and policies early this year.
“Southern Nevada has the capability, the obligation, and the need to be the most water-efficient community in the nation,” Entsminger said. “We already safely treat, recycle and return water used indoors back to Lake Mead, so conserving the water we use outdoors will help us achieve that goal and ensure our long-term sustainability.” To find out how your business can take advantage of SNWA’s cash incentives and save water, contact one of SNWA’s business experts at 702-862-3740 or email cashincentives@snwa.com. Learn more on snwa.com.
