Doing Our Part

Useless Grass Removal Mandate: AB356

With ongoing drought conditions affecting water levels at Lake Mead, AB356 is aimed at increasing efficient water use throughout Southern Nevada. 

The useless grass removal law prohibits the use of water delivered by SNWA’s member agencies to irrigate decorative grass in streetscapes, medians, parking lots, and other areas where it is used for aesthetics and not recreational purposes by the end of 2026. 

We begin removing selected sections of non-recreational turf replacing it with drought-tolerant, native plants, trees or other landscape materials and amenities and converting the existing Fescue grass to a drought-tolerant grass, such as Hybrid Bermuda. Residents might notice some additional watering taking place to help establish the new seed.  We'll continue the project for our remaining parks through 2026. When completed, we estimate this project will save our community 150 million gallons of water per year.

As part of our turf removal process, we complete a site analysis to determine the health and viability of the trees. We've realized through the years that the Ash tree species in particular don't tolerate grass to desert landscape transformation and usually die within 18 month of the transformation.

Those that are deemed in poor health are removed, but we make every effort to replant trees within our community to ensure Henderson's tree canopy continues to grow for years to come. 

The City of Henderson is committed to the beautification and saving resources in our Parks. As a result, we will always replace the trees removed with as many or more trees, plants and amenities to provide recreational opportunities for our residents and future sustainability of our parks.

 We've already seen success with our conservation efforts.  Here are some highlights from 2023:

• Reduced citywide usage by more than one billion gallons as compared to 2022 
• Water consumption is down well over 10% at City parks and facilities
• Removed or converted almost 700,000 square feet of decorative grass in residential and business areas and in City parks, a nearly 40% increase from 2022
• Conserved over 162 million gallons of water in City parks, more than six times the amount saved in 2022 

For more information on how your nearby park will be impacted, see our Facility, Pool, Park & Trail Hours and Closures page. 

Current Turf Reduction Projects 

Anthem Hills Park

Sunridge Park

Wells Park

Stephanie Lynn Craig Park

Current Turf to Turf Conversion Projects

Watering 

Many of our parks are on a conservation watering schedule designed to help maximize water efficiency. This schedule is created by a centrally-controlled irrigation system that:

• Monitors daily weather station data
• Utilizes computerized controllers
• Applies the optimum amount of water needed to keep plants healthy

Additional Water Conservation Measures

The City of Henderson Parks and Recreation Department also has additional water conservation measures and programs in place. They include:

• Non-recreational turf reduction program
• Irrigation system preventative maintenance plan
• New development landscaping requirements
• Water usage reporting and evaluation

H2One is Henderson’s call to conserve and sustain our water supply because it sustains us. It’s all hands on deck: we’re calling all community members to action and empowering them to become conservation champions.

Contact

If you would like to learn more about our water conservation efforts or if you have any water-related concerns about our parks, call 702-267-4027. A copy of our Drought Response Plan is also available upon request.