"Gold is the new green," said Aeryn Donnelly-Terrey, San Clemente park planner. "We are one of the first cities who are actually removing non-functional turf."
Officials say it's one of five city parks where grass is being removed to cut water use, as the state enters a fourth year of drought.
"The only turf we're really taking out is something that people wouldn't be picnicking or playing on. It's not in the sports fields," stressed Donnelly-Terrey.
[Ads /]
Along Camino De Los Mares, equipment rips out grass from the median. Turf will be replaced with drought-tolerant plants and/or decomposed granite.
"We enjoy going out to the desert, so it's a little bit of desert landscape, no big deal," said Linda Zardeneta, as she and her husband strolled along Los Mares.
The city says it's removing 150 square feet of turf from five city parks, Los Mares street medians and the city's Community Development Building and the Utilities Building. The parks include Forster Ranch Community Park, Marblehead Inland Park, Mira Costa Park and Vista Hermosa Sports Park.
Officials say the project also includes installing nine miles of pipe to carry reclaimed water. The savings in maintenance costs $90,000 a year.
The water saved is more than five million gallons annually.
Some residents say since they're being asked to conserve water, they're glad the city is also doing its part.
"It's time to move forward. We only have so much water," said San Clemente resident Larry Zardeneta.
The move comes at the right time. On Tuesday, city council is considering declaring a Level 3 water shortage to further reduce water use.
The Level 3 warning includes: no planting turf; no filling home pools, spas or fountains; no installing plants from May through October; no washing buildings or surfaces that water can't soak into.