New Resident-Led Restoration Project Announced

Bob Lemoine knows, you don’t need to water to have a great looking lawn. Bob hasn’t watered in 40+ years, choosing to conserve for the Ipswich River he has long supported as a Middleton Stream Team member.

We are inviting all Ipswich River supporters to join us in a regional resident-led watershed restoration project that could transform the North Shore. At the end of June, the Governor declared a state of drought in our region following a dry winter and below-average spring rain levels. That, along with a flow rate below where it was during the historic drought of 2016 made it clear that four years later our communities still aren’t conserving enough water.

What can we do? We know that lawn watering uses huge amounts of water, and that less than 20% of that water nourishes the grass as 80% simply evaporates into the air. Since there are so many other things communities need water for like farms, businesses, recreation, public safety, and drinking water the solution seems easy: let your grass go dormant, don’t water. 

Many of you have done just that, or have never watered your lawn to begin with, but this is not the norm. The ideal of a lush, green, manicured and monoculture lawn is proving a hard one to shake. That’s why we need you. Together, residents who care about clean water can shift behavioral norms towards a new concept of what it means to have a lawn.

To instigate this change, the Greenscapes Coalition is launching the Water for People Campaign (watch the campaign video here or below!). This collaborative effort will reach across the North Shore, engaging towns throughout the Parker, Ipswich, and Essex (PIE-Rivers) watersheds and beyond. The goal of the campaign is to help communities promote clean water, sustainability, healthy landscapes and natural beauty through resident-led restoration work. 

The first step to more sustainable communities is inaction: residents are asked to conserve water by not watering their lawns. Participating residents become leaders in a regional watershed restoration project that multiplies natural spaces in their neighborhoods.

 Here’s what you can do

1. Take the Water for People Pledge here
   or at greenscapes.org/waterforpeople
2. When you take the pledge, request a Water for People lawn sign for your no-watering property to help spread the word
3. Encourage your community to follow your example, and give them all the dirt on lawns

Did you know? 

• Frequent watering makes grass more sensitive to dry conditions, by causing it to develop shallow roots. 
• Massachusetts households that water their lawns in the summer use up to 1,900 gallons of water a week. That’s like running your shower for 12 hours!
• Instead of Kentucky bluegrass, a non-native species which needs lots of water, a lawn of fescue and legume blend will still save water and stay healthy even in dry conditions. 

When we save water, we are protecting everything it makes possible from food, public safety, basic needs, and industry to the life long memories made on the river. By turning off sprinklers and hoses, residents and businesses can make a huge impact. Making the choice to conserve means ensuring there is enough water for farms, businesses, drinking water, recreation, and wildlife. Water is too important to waste on grass.