SAN CLEMENTE – Use it or lose it: That’s the strategy city officials here are taking toward grass in select public parks, in a bid to save water.
In recent days, a city contractor has yanked out swaths of grass at Marblehead Inland Park just east of I-5, aiming to remove water-hungry turf that people don’t tend to use and replace it with drought-tolerant plants.
Select portions of four of the city’s 20 parks also will lose some lawn, after city staff identified areas that the public isn’t using for play.
The city also will remove grass from a street median along Camino de los Mares, and eliminate lawns outside the city’s community development building and the utilities office.
It’s part of San Clemente’s response to a statewide water shortage that is squeezing regional water agencies to reduce their allocations to cities.
While other Orange County cities are removing grass from highway medians to deal with the water crisis, taking out unused turf from popular parks doesn’t appear to be widespread. At least not yet.
“I’m not familiar with any other proposals,” said Kevin Gilhooley, Orange County regional affairs officer with the League of California Cities, when contacted by email. “Sounds interesting, though.”
Laguna Beach is one city that has removed grass from medians and is looking at removing the grass from one of its older parks, Top of the World Park, up for renovation next year.
In the meantime, Laguna Beach officials have cut water to the grass now growing at the park, allowing it to eventually die.
“The City Council is looking for any ways to cut water use,” said Mark Trestik, Laguna Beach’s assistant city engineer. But, Trestik added, the city will ask the community before reaching any decisions.
In San Clemente, city staff took the turf-removal proposal to the City Council on Feb. 2 and received a 5-0 vote to proceed.
Councilman Bob Baker deemed it “very forward-thinking” and said it showed how the city is taking a leading role in water conservation.
The turf removal project, which also includes portions of Mira Costa Park, Forster Ranch Community Park and Vista Hermosa Sports Park, is costing about $520,000. Andrew Kanzler, the city’s water conservation analyst, said rebates from Metropolitan Water District and Municipal Water District of Orange County should cover all but about $40,000 of the cost.
It adds up to nearly 150,000 square feet of turf grass that can be removed without significant impacts to use, a city staff report said. The city figures to save 5.2 million gallons of water per year.
Kanzler said the city can expect to save $18,000 in water costs per year, plus $90,000 that the city now spends to maintain the turf.
“I think this is good,” said local resident Antonio Rama, visiting Marblehead Inland Park on Monday as workers continued with turf removal.
“The timing is good. We need more rain.”
Jacob Garcia, a member of the Marina Landscape Inc. crew, said other neighbors seem to be on board as well.
“They ask when is completion,” he said. “I tell them June or July. I let them know it’s going to be desert-friendly type of landscape. They think it’s a great idea. It’s a new look. A lot of smiles for it.”
Meanwhile, the city spent $25 million last year to expand the sewage treatment plant’s capacity to produce reclaimed water, adding 9 miles of pipelines to distribute the reclaimed water around town to irrigate parks, medians, schools, golf courses and homeowner association greenbelts. Conversion of more than 100 properties to reclaimed water is underway.
Earlier this month, the City Council declared a Level 2 water alert, limiting watering to three days per week March through October, and one day per week between November and the end of February.
It applies to residents, homeowner associations and businesses that use San Clemente municipal water – an estimated 50,000 of the city’s 65,000 residents. Others get their water from Santa Margarita Water District and South Coast Water District.
Contact the writer: fswegles@ocregister.com