Las Vegas parks rip out grass, sparking heated debate over water, heat

More than a twelve Las Vegas city parks are undergoing makeovers, a move officials say will prevent 82 cardinal gallons of h2o per twelvemonth. At Thursday’s Southern Nevada Water Authority committee meeting, elected officials approved a $4 cardinal rebate for the city for removing grass through a cash‑for‑grass incentive program that water managers have offered since 2001. It is one of the many tools the bureau uses to support the Colorado River Basin’s water supply, which is connected being support. During the meeting, residents raised a database of objections during national comment, expressing concern over minimal artificial turf installation and the impact of grass removal on valley temperatures and quality of life. Las Vegas City Councilwoman Olivia Diaz, the city’s typical representative on the board, told the assemblage that officials must measure protection of the Colorado River while preserving grass that is most useful to the community. “I recognize the delicate balance,” Diaz said. “We person to not instrumentality distant the small writer that whitethorn beryllium successful truthful galore areas crossed the city, but besides if it’s not functional and it’s lone determination for aesthetics, I deliberation that we could bash a amended job.” The 17 projects benefiting from the rebate will affect 15 city parks. According to city spokesperson Jace Radke, only 2 parks on the list will receive artificial turf. One is Cragin Park, among the parks already transformed, and the other is Bettye Wilson Soccer Complex, where the city will also construct an additional artificial turf area on a field that currently lacks grass. Radke noted examples of grass removal for recreational upgrades, including new pickleball courts at Lorenzi Park and a new outdoor excavation at the Veterans Memorial Community Center. “The city has not removed grass that is due and utilized by the community,” Radke said successful a statement. “Grass that is not utilized tin beryllium replaced with water‑smart landscaping without an interaction connected residents and recreational opportunities.” While grass often feels cool to the touch, a UNLV study from 2008 found that the surface of artificial turf can reach up to 169 degrees, 46 degrees higher than what was deemed safe for use at the time. Some student‑athletes have reported burns resulting from contact with artificial turf. An expanding body of research indicates that certain artificial turf contains persistent chemicals, namely perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which have been linked to cancer. Laura McSwain, founder of the neighborhood group Water Fairness Coalition, said during national comment that removing grass, especially in parks, is short‑sighted. She argued that water savings should not be presented as a valid reason to continue tearing up grass in parks. “Conservation cannot beryllium evaluated successful a vacuum,” McSwain said. “At immoderate point, temperature, nationalist health, biology consequences and the livability of this assemblage person to go portion of the calculation.” ‘Not a mandate’ During the meeting, Southern Nevada Water Authority deputy general manager Colby Pellegrino stated that the city’s turf removal projects are voluntary and not prompted by the controversial 2021 measure that bans the use of Colorado River water to irrigate decorative grass, which takes effect in January. “This is an inducement programme that’s existed since 2001 and operated continuously,” Pellegrino said. “It is not a mandate. It’s a instrumentality that’s retired determination to marque our parks person greater recreational worth for the assemblage portion besides utilizing little water.” In a statement, water authority spokesperson Bronson Mack described the conversions as “a large illustration of however conservation and assemblage enhancement tin spell manus successful hand.” Still, Amelia Wignall and other residents remain unhappy with the changes they have observed over the years. Wignall said her fond memories of visiting Rainbow Family Park to cool off on hot days have been replaced by an unpleasant smell of burning rubber where grass once grew. “The thought of replacing much grass with amenities similar pickleball courts conscionable adds to our vigor land and makes it consciousness much and much similar a dystopian landscape,” Wignall said. “This is nary longer a retreat to nature. Enough harm has already occurred. I’m asking you to delight halt making it worse. Leave the remaining grass successful sports fields.”