Homeowners consider turf lawns in response to drought and water restrictions

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Tuesday outdoor watering in the city will be restricted to two days a week.
Friday, May 13, 2022
LOMITA, Calif. (KABC) -- New water restrictions continue to pour in as California attempts to keep the ongoing drought from getting worse. The limits on how often homeowners can water their lawns are keeping people in the turf industry busy.

"Since the past two weeks the phone is definitely ringing nonstop. For sure," said Olivier, owner of BuildCal Turf.
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"There are a lot of people that are really interested because really if you're going to keep your house looking nice during a drought, it's not many options," said Ross LaGumina, owner of Synthetic Dream Lawn.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Tuesday outdoor watering in the city will be restricted to two days a week. Metropolitan Water District had also announced a one-day a week outdoor watering restriction.

"I understand the push to kind of have the restrictions," said Maggie Browning, a homeowner in Lomita, California. "I hope that people will consider other ways like the synthetic lawn or other ways that they can do to try to help."

Browning made the switch from real grass to turf after spending years trying to get her front lawn to grow.



While the maintenance for a turf lawn still requires water to keep clean, experts said it doesn't require nearly as much.

"It doesn't require the same amount of water as much as a regular lawn," Olivier said. "It's once in a while. If you don't have a dog, you know, it's just once every few months."

LaGumina said one of the biggest things holding people back from making the switch to turf is tradition. However, he encourages people to look for alternative ways to save water while still keeping their curb appeal, like by using stones or mulches.
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"You can always translate a yard into decorative stones, mulch, succulents, rock gardens and things like that. Those are really beautiful too," LaGumina said. "That's a great way also to save on all the water."

"I'm still naive. I'm still learning I'm still growing," Browning said. "But this is my first step and trying to do my part."

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