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What Legislation Targets as "Non-Functional Turf" IS REALLY Inefficient IrrigatioN ZONES 

The core focus is on non-functional turf: grass that's primarily ornamental/aesthetic, not actively used (e.g., medians, park strips, parking lot islands, traffic circles, decorative strips, or low-activity commercial/industrial frontages). These areas are seen as low-value and prone to inefficient irrigation because:

• They often feature irregular shapes, narrow strips (<8 feet wide), steep slopes (>25% grade), or isolated zones that are hard to water evenly with overhead sprinklers.

• Overhead spray systems (common in these spots) lose water to wind drift, evaporation, and poor uniformity—especially in Utah's dry, windy conditions—leading to overwatering in some areas and under-watering in others.

• Bills require properties to either avoid overhead spray irrigation entirely on non-functional turf or pair it with advanced weather/soil-based monitoring tech that adjusts watering precisely (e.g., smart controllers that shut off during rain/wind or match plant needs).

• Exemptions or allowances exist for functional turf (active recreation like sports fields/parks, erosion control, heat mitigation, or efficient designs with minimum widths/slopes/low-water varieties).

• Broader rules include no overhead spray between 10 a.m.–6 p.m. (unless exempted), manual shutoffs during rain/wind, leak detection, and limits like turf ≤20% of state facility grounds.

This setup directly aims at inefficient irrigation zones—those decorative, hard-to-water turf or vegitative patches that waste water through poor system design, evaporation losses, and lack of smart controls—helping meet urban outdoor watering reduction goals (outdoor use drives most municipal depletions to the Great Salt Lake).

The Mislabeling of Turf in Utah Legislation as nonfunctional turf: Targeting Inefficient Irrigation Zones to Reduce Urban Outdoor Watering, But Missing Broader Environmental Impacts

Utah's water conservation policies—driven by drought, Great Salt Lake decline, and the "Slow the Flow: Save H2O" campaign—have zeroed in on non-functional turf as a way to slander turf, and reach mandates that have been set to reduce outside irrigation to reduce water use. Unfortunately this narrative harms the natural water cycle and increases heat and heat islands.

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How the "Non-Functional" Label Slanders Turf to Achieve These Mandates

By narrowly defining and labeling most turf as "non-functional" unless it fits strict active-use or efficiency criteria, the legislation effectively:

• Slanders turf broadly as wasteful, decorative "water hogs" with minimal value, justifying irrigation bans, rebates for removal (e.g., turf conversion programs), and water-wise requirements in new urban/suburban developments. See Functional Turf

• Drives compliance by making overhead spray (the default for many existing zones) impractical or prohibited in non-active areas, pushing alternatives like drip irrigation, mulch, natives, or xeriscapes to cut ET and meet conservation mandates to get funds.

• Shifts perception that grass = inefficiency, making widespread restrictions seem urgent and necessary without fully weighing trade-offs.

• Using fear tactics to make people think the Great Salt Lake is dying or causing health issues.

This framing prioritizes short-term reductions in urban outdoor watering, especially in inefficient zones.

Why This Approach Misses the Mark: Amplifying Heat Islands, Slowing Water Velocity, and Increasing Residence Times

While curbing truly wasteful, decorative turf in poorly irrigated zones is logical, the broad negative framing and restrictions on turf (and overhead watering systems) overlook how healthy, functional turf (like our Ferrozite-grown sod) provides essential benefits that low-ET alternatives like natives often lack:

• Worsens Urban Heat Islands: Xeriscapes, rock, or bare soil absorb and radiate heat intensely (surfaces can exceed 140–180°F. in summer), with low ET offering little cooling. Turf's evaporative cooling drops surface temps by 18–29°F+ and air temps by 1.8–9°F(or more locally), outperforming low-ET landscapes in Utah studies (e.g., Salt Lake Valley research showing grass + trees cool most effectively). Removing functional turf in urban areas exacerbates heat islands, raising energy use, health risks, and discomfort.

• Slows Water Velocity & Disrupts the Cycle: Low-ET replacements minimize infiltration and ET, causing water to move slowly (or evaporate minimally), reducing productive cycling. Functional turf slows wasteful horizontal surface runoff (roots/canopy promote infiltration), then rapidly returns it to the atmosphere via high ET (100% recycled quickly)—accelerating dynamic flow for rain recycling, local precipitation, and recharge. Policies favoring minimal ET slow velocity overall, limiting moisture feedback to clouds/rain.

• Increases Residence Times: By discouraging ET-heavy turf, water percolates deeper slowly or evaporates little—extending "residence times" in soil/aquifers (years/decades) or leading to direct loss to terminal lakes. Turf's shallow, dense roots ensure fast atmospheric return, preventing premature verticle deep storage and fueling the water cycle. Balanced landscapes need all plants: grass for quick shallow cycling, natives/trees for deeper uptake and verticle water return before water enters the aquifers prematurely.

In essence, the push against inefficient irrigation zones is valid for purely decorative, wasteful vegitation setups—but broadly mislabeling turf risks hotter, drier cities, slower hydrology, and longer-stagnant water.

 

Functional Turf like ours—Ferrozite-grown for resilience and efficiency—proves grass enhances the water cycle through evapotranspiration, and cooling.

See our Functional Turf page for how we grow rain, beat heat, and truly grow the flow. Contact All American Sod today! 🌱💧🌧️❄️

All American Sod – Utah's Leader in Rain-Producing, Heat-Beating, Cycle-Growing Sod Since 1977