Cost To Water Lawns Surges In Las Vegas And California

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The 1,200-year drought in the Western United States has been improved by heavy rain and snow this year. However, no one expects this to end the growing lack of water trend, particularly in California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and parts of Texas. Among the effects of the drought is the rising cost of water, even for mundane tasks like watering lawns.

More Dought News —Wildfires in California

Wildfires —Texas Damage

In some regions in the West, lawn watering restrictions are significant. According to NBC last year, “Grass in office parks, on college campuses or in some California neighborhoods will go brown this summer after state water officials adopted a ban Tuesday on watering certain green spaces as the state’s drought drags on.”

Restrictions Watering Lawns

A new study by Lawn Love, “2024’s Most Expensive Cities for Watering the Lawn,” finds that the highest costs are in California and Nevada. The rankings were based on annual precipitation, a history of drought, the average number of days when the temperature was extremely hot or extremely cold, the percent of household income spent on water, and average yard sizes. These were used to create an overall score.

The city with the highest score was Merced, CA, at 68.17. Bakersfield followed at 67.78, and Salinas at 67.26. All three are located inland from the area that runs from San Francisco to Los Angeles. This is the part of the West most badly damaged by drought.

Two cities in Nevada are near the top of the list. Las Vegas ranks 9th with a score of 63.20. North Las Vegas is 10th with a score of 63.11. Among large American cities, Las Vegas is near the top of those that receive the fewest inches of rain annually.