To save water, get rid of more front lawns

Gary Musser, Las Vegas

Tuesday, July 8, 2008 | 2:03 a.m.

We all should be grateful to people such as Pat Mulroy, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, and Terry Katzer, a paid consultant to the Water Authority, for helping us take important steps to ensure the future of our water supply.

However, in their commentary on Sunday they write, “No community can conserve enough to survive on only 10 percent of its water supply.” Although that is true, we should pull out all stops to ensure what water we have lasts as long as it can.

My family moved to Las Vegas more than 11 years ago from lush, green Oregon. However, we planted beautiful desert landscaping around the three houses we had built here.

Though some families may need grass in back yards for play, the Water Authority should be more aggressive in keeping as much water in our Lake Mead “bank” as possible.

A simple first step is to dramatically increase incentives for converting grass front yards to desert landscaping (maybe up to 100 percent of the cost) by increasing the costs of water for those who currently have grass front yards. A grass front yard surcharge should fund the conversion incentives.

We live in a desert and there really is something wonderful about seeing the variety and beauty of desert landscaping. Also, it is a reminder that we are all doing our part to save our water for the future.