Category: Front Page

Keeping your grass green through irrigation can cost a lot of green. But it can set you back even more, depending on the price you pay for water and the climate in your region.

So, where in America is lawn irrigation the biggest drain on consumers’ wallets?

Ahead of World Water Day on March 22, Lawn Love ranked 2022’s Most Expensive Cities for Lawn Irrigation. 

In each of the 50 major U.S. cities in our ranking, we compared the average water bill against the typical yard size to measure residents’ average monthly utility expense on outdoor water use. They range from $0.65 to $9.49 per 1,000 square feet of lawn.

We also considered various factors that affect the cost of landscape irrigation, such as the types of grass that grow in each city, the region’s proneness to drought, and the legality of harvesting rainwater in the state.

Key insights:

• Super Soakers: California and Texas stand out in our ranking — for the wrong reasons. Texas cities ended up in the top 50% due to their sprawling (aka water-intensive) yards. California cities also dominated the top 10 because they bombed the financials metrics. Both states share the top positions in Cost Determinants, made up mostly of climate factors.
   
• East vs. West: Plotting our five most expensive and five cheapest cities on a map reveals a clear division between East and West (and North versus South). All of our cheapest cities lie east of the Missouri River and in the northern half of the U.S. The most expensive are west of the river and near the border with Mexico.Familiarity with regional climates (and climate trends) leaks the reasons for these patterns: The West is currently grappling with its worst drought in over 1,200 years, whereas colder climates make it difficult to keep grass green in winter.
   
• Dollars and No Sense: From a purely dollar perspective, Seattle, San Francisco, and Washington — in that order — are the least affordable cities for lawn irrigation despite having some of the smallest average yards in our ranking.Why? They’re among the 10 most expensive cities in which to live — period. Everything, including utilities, costs a pretty penny in these parts, so it’s no surprise that they fared worst in the Cost category.
   
• Water Relief: Chicagoans can rest easy knowing every drop of water that falls on their lawn goes a long way. The Windy City came in last in our ranking — in other words, residents here get the most bang for their buck.The cost of water is relatively cheap in Chicago. More importantly, most of the grass types that would thrive in this city — cold-season grasses like fine and tall fescues and perennial ryegrasses — all require minimal H2O.

Our full ranking and analysis can be found here: 
https://lawnlove.com/blog/most-expensive-cities-lawn-irrigation/

ELDORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Eldorado Canyon State Park is announcing wildlife closures in the Rattlesnake Gulch area, effective immediately, to protect nesting golden eagles on the south side of the canyon.

This closes the upper loop of the Rattlesnake Gulch Trail, above the Crags Hotel Ruin and the Continental Divide Overlook and includes the Continental Crag climbing area. These areas are closed to all uses, including rock climbing, through July 15 or until further notice.

Golden eagles are protected by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service under authority of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Disturbing a golden eagle nest can carry a fine of up to $5,000 and one year in prison.

For more information on rock climbing, visit: http://cpw.state.co.us/thingstodo/Pages/Rock-Climbing.aspx. To learn about other climbing areas, and all of the activities available at Eldorado Canyon State Park, visit: http://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/Parks/eldoradocanyon.

DENVER – Today, Governor Jared Polis announced he signed a letter with governors from across the country urging the U.S. Congress to suspend the federal gas tax to help provide savings and real relief for Americans struggling to keep up with gas prices as a result of Russia’s aggression and engagement in a dangerous geopolitical conflict in Ukraine.

 

Governor Polis has consistently called for Congress to act and suspend the federal gas tax and Gov. Polis has proposed a delay in Colorado’s gas fee. 

“The Gas Prices Relief Act as introduced in the House and Senate – H.R. 6787 and S. 3609 respectively – would alleviate the consumer cost of rising gas prices while protecting the federal government’s capacity to make infrastructure investments.

First, it saves Americans at the pump by suspending the 18.4 cent per gallon federal gas tax for the rest of the year.  Money saved at the pump translates into dollars back in consumers’ pockets for groceries, childcare, rent, and more,” the Governors wrote to House and Senate Leadership. 

“But importantly, the legislation would also ensure the Highway Trust Fund stays solvent. The bill would authorize the U.S. Department of Treasury to transfer general fund dollars to replace the temporarily lost revenue of a halted federal gasoline excise tax.” 

“Furthermore, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) dedicated an additional $118 billion to the Highway Trust Fund, and the Trust Fund’s capacity to finance the construction and maintenance of roads, bridges, and highways across the country would not be diminished by the legislation. For these reasons and more, we know it is possible to invest in infrastructure and also provide meaningful relief to consumers at the pump,” the letter continued. 

Governor Polis was one of the first governors in the country to support the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), when paired with Colorado’s own bipartisan infrastructure package, will make progress on fixing our roads and investing in infrastructure. 

“At a time when people are directly impacted by rising prices on everyday goods, a federal gas tax holiday is a tool in the toolbox to reduce costs for Americans, and we urge you to give every consideration to this proposed legislation,” the Governors concluded. 

DENVER – Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Colorado Outdoor Equity Grant Boardhas elected Yesica Chavez as Chair and Benilda “Benny” Samuels as Vice Chair.

The board, created by the passage of House Bill 21-1318, will award grants designed to widen accessibility to the outdoors for Coloradans from underserved communities. The grants also are designed to provide environmental, experiential, outdoor, stewardship and conservation education for Colorado youth or families, and that address inequities Coloradans face in accessing the outdoors. 

The board is composed of members representing communities that have faced barriers to accessing Colorado’s outdoors and are responsible for the governance of the Outdoor Equity Grant program.

“I am honored to serve as the first Chair of the newly formed Colorado Outdoor Equity Grants Board,” Chavez said. “And I’m excited to help shape a new path for outdoor recreation, conservation and sustainability and to make outdoor spaces a more just, equitable and inclusive place.”

Samuels was equally excited about the opportunity.

“The Outdoor Equity Fund will increase access to the restorative powers of the land so that we can all enjoy it, respect it and conserve it,” Samuels said.  
The Colorado Outdoor Equity Grant Board is accepting applications through April 8 to fund programs that bring about transformative change throughout communities.

About Yesica Chavez:
Yesica is a first-generation graduate who earned a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Ethnic Studies from the University of Colorado Denver. She coordinated various projects in the environmental justice, sustainability, and equity/inclusion sectors while earning her bachelor’s degree. As a young person herself, she understood the importance of including young people in decision-making that affects our future. She grew up in Denver and remembers seeing the mountains from a distance from her home in Montbello, but she never felt connected to them. She hopes that by serving on this board, she will be able to help close the gap between underserved youth and outdoor recreation by funding programs that are already doing so or hoping to start. In her free time she likes to hike, rock climb, snowboard and spend time with her family. 

About Benilda “Benny” Samuels:
Benny Samuels is a seasoned multicultural, multi-lingual leader in health, human service and nonprofit. In her 30-year career, Samuels has led transformational programs that have increased access, equity, voice and power (in the form of self-sufficiency) for children, families, and communities, with an intentional emphasis on supporting communities of color and those living in poverty and furthest from opportunity across Colorado and nationally. Her accomplishments include the Statewide Colorado Family Planning Project, which reduced unintended pregnancies in Colorado by 40 percent in 4 years. Benny also implemented the W.K. Kellogg Foundation multi-million-dollar grant investment and flagship national demonstration project, Community Voices, enrolling thousands of children in the Child Health Plan Plus and uninsured adults into Medicaid and the Colorado Indigent Care Program. Most recently, Benny led the operations of a $56 million investment for Nurse-Family Partnership to scale the model by making it accessible to thousands of first-time mothers living in poverty.  

More information on the Colorado Outdoor Equity Grant Board is available on CPW’s website. 

Photo captions: left, Benilda “Benny” Samuels. Right, Yesica Chavez.