A water official from Las Vegas is urging state legislators to pass a law that would ban ornamental grass that nobody walks on. This includes grassy areas in office parks and housing communities and the grass that fills roadway medians.

Southern Nevada Water Authority public service director Andy Belanger wants to see that grass removed by December 2026.

"SNWA's Andy Belanger: We're asking the legislature to consider legislation to require the removal of unused turf throughout the LV Valley by Dec. 2026. What's unused turf? It's grass that never gets stepped on except when it's mowed," the SNWA tweeted.

The agency said that it takes billions of gallons of water to keep the roughly eight square miles of grass alive.

"Grass uses about 73 gallons per every square foot in order to survive in this desert," Bronson Mack with the Southern Nevada Water Authority, said according to KVVU.

The agency suggests replacing the grass with cactus and other succulents could cut back on water usage in the region by 15%.

Officials say they aren't looking to get rid of people's lawns or grassy areas in parks and playgrounds.

"To be clear, we are not coming after your average homeowner's backyard," Justin Jones, a Clark County commissioner, according to ABC News.

Instead, they are targeting grass that serves no practical purpose.

"The only people that ever set foot on grass that's in the middle of a roadway system are people cutting the grass," he added.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, all of Nevada is currently in the middle of a moderate drought, with 40% of the state experiencing "exceptional drought" conditions.

Photo: Getty Images

Contact

Advertising