Going from grass to artificial turf on football fields will yield huge savings
Clark County School District’s (CCSD) replacement of over 2.4 million square feet of natural grass with artificial turf – on the District’s 29 high school football fields – will net sizable savings in water conservation and dollars.
CCSD, which utilized funds from the Legislature-approved 2015 Capital Improvement Program to replace the aging fields so they were safe, plans to have all football fields replaced by March 2021.
The impact on water conservation and financial savings to the District are remarkable.
The Southern Nevada Water Authority says CCSD – and the community – will save over 1.2 billion gallons of water in a decade by installing artificial turf.
In addition to promoting water conservation in the desert, CCSD benefits financially as well. CCSD received a cash rebate through SNWA’s Water Smart Landscapes Program, totaling about $7.4 million. Furthermore, as CCSD Chief of Facilities Jeff Wagner notes, CCSD will save about $1 million annually in its water bill which, he says, will be dollars that can be put back in the classroom.
CCSD is looking to expand these water conservation efforts elsewhere, replacing grass on school district grounds where it is simply aesthetic.