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The following list outlines several initiatives Clark County has launched to conserve water at county facilities. Many of these efforts fall under the purview of Clark Countys Parks & Community Services Department, which oversees landscaping and outdoor maintenance at most county facilities. Highlights include the following projects:
Desert Breeze Synthetic Turf Baseball Field
Desert Breeze Park near Spring Mountain and Durango is home of the countys first synthetic turf baseball field. About a half acre of grass in one of the parks four baseball diamond infields was converted in December 2002 into synthetic turf as part of joint project between Clark County and the Southern Nevada Water Authority. The experimental infield alone is expected to
save one million gallons of water a year, according to Water Authority calculations.
Median Turf Removal
Clark County is in the process of converting grass located on public medians in the county to xeriscape. A Parks Department study in 2003 found that of the countys 14 acres of landscaped medians, about 6 acres contained grass. In March 2003, the Parks Department launched a pilot project at Winchester Community Center, near Desert Inn Road and McLeod, to covert grass located on medians and around parking lots to water-smart landscaping. The conversion was finished in June. Other conversions will be complete by the summer of 2004.
New Irrigation System
The department has a several-phase program in place to upgrade irrigation technology at the countys parks. Once installation is complete, the system will cut water consumption in all area parks by 5 percent, but a target date to finish the project depends on the availability of funding, officials said.
New Parks
All new parks on Clark Countys drawing board will be designed to meet and even exceed a goal to reduce water consumption by 25 percent. Planners are looking at ways to minimize water use in parks by adding decorative walking paths, shade shelters and planter boxes between green spaces.
McCarran Turf Removal Project
McCarran International Airport is scheduled to launch the second phase of a large turf removal project in spring 2004. The project, now in its design stages, will replace 5.4 acres of grass outside the airport with desert-friendly xeriscape and include changes to the airports irrigation infrastructure. Since 1996, the airport has converted more than 9 acres of lawn into desert landscaping, resulting in an annual water savings of 15.3 million gallons enough to water six soccer fields.
Employee Education Campaign
The county has launched an ongoing campaign with support from the Water Authority to arm Clark Countys 10,000 employees with information they can take home about water conservation. The effort began in May when the countys Government Center at 500 S. Grand Central Pkwy. became a host location of a public educational exhibit about the drought. In addition to the drought display, water-savings tip are posted on the countys employee Intranet site. |