[quote=zk][quote=EconProf]A couple of factors limit how much water savings this could really achieve:
1. San Diego can go six months without a drop of rain (as your comment suggests), so this would be of no help during those months–the very months in summer when your lawn needs the most water.
2. During our rainy winter months, some people can get away with turning off their lawn sprinklers entirely, so your plan would yeild no savings for those periods.
Finally, leveling a lawn is a HUGE amount of work. And do you have a place for the extra soil?[/quote]
In the summer (and fall and spring) is when I would get the benefit. Because there would be no runoff from the sprinklers. Normally, a lot of the sprinkler water runs off the grade and down the drain. With my plan, it would all soak directly into the grass, and there would be no water wasted to runoff.
The extra soil is not a problem.[/quote]
I have artificial turf in the play area for my son under his sandbox. I wouldn’t install it again. If it gets direct sun, it gets hot. Almost as hot as a concrete driveway in the sun. Liquids run through it, but anything else (sand, dirt, dog doo, etc.) just mats into the under fabric. You get very little water savings from artificial turf, you use almost as much cleaning and cooling it.
If you’re getting run-off with your sprinklers, they’re on too long. In most of SoCal with our clay type soil, in the height of summer, a lawn will be fine with the sprinklers set to cycle 3 times for 3 minutes 3 times a week. If you still have run-off after that, adjust the flows on your sprinklers.
Finally, if it’s not an area used for socializing and playing such that you need an open lawn area, xeriscape and install California fountain grasses, pencil plants, etc. Plus many water districts will pay you to remove your lawn.
