Although drought conditions have ravaged California in recent years, some homeowners are actually turning to an unconventional solution to save water. Breitbart News says that Californians are installing backyard pools despite the drought, which reportedly use 13% less water than mowed grass.
California is in its fourth year of a significant drought, which has seen people do everything from planting drought-tolerant vegetation to enforcing regulations on overall water use. One recent Los Angeles Times article even found that more and more homeowners are beginning to take out their pools, ashamed of having such exorbitant displays of water usage in what’s becoming increasingly desperate times.
On average, a backyard pool contains about 20,000 gallons of water and loses approximately two inches every week from evaporation alone. Overall, this can result in up to 20,000 gallons of water lost over the course of a year.
Those numbers sound daunting and wasteful, but when you really break it down it’s actually more efficient than maintaining green grass. According to a study done by the Santa Margarita Water District, the average California pool uses about 96,500 gallons of water over a three-year period, while traditional grass that needs to be watered and mowed requires about 116,8000 gallons.
Even more astonishing is that over a five-year period, pools are even more water-friendly than drought-tolerant landscaping if used with a pool cover. Covers can reduce evaporation and cut the cost of heating a pool by up to 70%!
At vast majority of locals must be aware of these facts as the rate of pool construction has been going up in the state over the last five years. While some might still be getting dirty looks from their uninformed neighbors, they’re actually just doing their part to combat the devastating conditions — and keep themselves cool in the process.
Sources: BreItBart.com
NewsWorks.org
