Editorial: Another boost for water conservation

Friday, Aug. 4, 2000 | 9:13 a.m.

It is encouraging that North Las Vegas on Wednesday finally has joined the city of Las Vegas and Clark County in adopting tougher water conservation measures in the building of new homes. Under the new North Las Vegas ordinance, which only applies to future developments, just half of a front yard can be landscaped with grass. In addition, grass is banned from public facilities except for schools, parks and cemeteries. The use of grass in commercial zones, meanwhile, would be restricted to 25 percent.

The ordinance does allow the City Council to allow more turf in special circumstances. As the Sun's Diana Sahagun reported, city staff said one of these situations could include a new 7,500-acre master planned community. Before doing so, however, the city should look at other areas in the valley that effectively have used desert landscaping that both saves water and is attractive. Once one exemption is granted, other builders will expect to receive similar treatment. The city should be careful, then, not to undermine the ordinance's intent.

People move here from all other parts of the nation that don't have our arid climate, yet too many expect to transform their yards into mirror images of the lush, green landscapes where they grew up. No one likes the government telling him what he can do with his home, but the fact is we live in the desert where water is scarce. If Nevada expects other states in the West to conserve water so that we may get more ourselves in return, then it is only right that this region take similar steps. For that matter, these types of sensible restrictions on landscaping to conserve water are long overdue.