Thursday Top of the Scroll: Facing Colorado River shortage, 30 urban suppliers pledge to target decorative grass
With the federal government calling for major cuts in water use to address the historic shortage on the Colorado River, the leaders of 30 agencies that supply cities from the Rocky Mountains to Southern California have signed an agreement committing to boost conservation, in part by pledging to target the removal of one especially thirsty mainstay of suburban landscapes: decorative grass. The water agencies, which supply Denver, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Santa Monica, Burbank, San Diego and other cities, have committed to a nonbinding list of actions, including creating a program to remove 30% of “nonfunctional” grass and replace it with “drought- and climate-resilient landscaping, while maintaining vital urban landscapes and tree canopies.”
Related article:
- Metropolitan Water District of Southern California: Water Agencies Unite and Commit to Reducing Demands on Colorado River
- Somach Simmons & Dunn Blog: Colorado River update – Department of Interior announces intent to (potentially) revise reservoir operating guidelines and impose additional cuts in 2023-24 water year
- Aspen Journalism: Four things to know about the lower Colorado River basin
- Greeley Tribune: Northern Water outlines stance on Colorado River strategies
- Wyo File: Municipal water among most vulnerable in Colorado River crisis
- Grist: Tribes in the Colorado River Basin are fighting for their water. States wish they wouldn’t.
