No More Grass: Nevada Outlaws Lawns To Save Water As Climate Change Worsens

The overbearing effects of climate change have finally caused one state in the US to take drastic measures in order to save its people: removing all of its grass.

The state of Nevada has issued a law that all commercial grass in Southern Nevada has to be removed in order to ease the ongoing drought. The law was signed last year and is starting to take effect as city officials are being seen removing patches of beautiful green grass.

Grass in Nevada takes up almost 10% of the limited water supply in the state, and the government has acknowledged that this type of consumption can no longer be sustained. According to USA Today, it uses up as much water as the Las Vegas Strip.

The effects of the drought are extremely noticeable, especially in Lake Mead, where the water level of Lake Mead has dropped approximately 170 feet since January 2000, according to Las Vegas Valley Water District. The lake is one of the main water supplies for the people of Nevada.

It has dipped so low that pipes built into the lake to carry water downstream can now be seen above the surface.

This new law states that all commercial sites, family homes, and streets, will have to remove decorative grass by 2026. This will not apply to schools and parks. 

According to The New York Times, this ban will save the state 9.5 billion gallons of water per year.

However, Nevada is not totally giving up on nature just yet. Instead of non-functional grass, drip-irrigated trees and plants will take root in its place.

[via CBS News and USA Today, cover image via bubutu/Adobe Stock]