Bill would create incentives for Colorado homeowners to ditch traditional lawns

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) --  We don't see a lot of artificial turf lawns, here in Colorado, but that could change very soon with drought and water shortages causing concern in the state.

House Bill 22-1151 is described as a way to "incentivize water-wise landscapes." If passed, the bill would require the Colorado water conservation board to develop a statewide program that would provide financial incentives to people who voluntarily replace irrigated turf with water-wise landscaping.

According to Western Resource Advocates, Colorado's climate is only getting drier. That's why the state is willing to offer people a dollar for every square foot of grass they get rid of. Homeowners will need to replace their lawns with mulch, native trees, and plants that can flourish in drier environments.

If passed-this bill aims to eventually cover the entire state.

"Xeriscaping, water-wise landscaping it's really a beautiful, pollinator-friendly, native plants that thrive in Colorado with a lot less water and it's really the direction we need to be heading into the future", Lindsay Rogers, is with Western resource advocates.

Cutting the number of water homeowners use on their lawns can make a big difference, agriculture typically accounts for about 80% of water usage. 

As it stands, about one in four Coloradans live in a community with a turf incentive program.