Longmont is turning turf replacement from a guessing game into a data-driven water strategy.
Instead of removing random patches of grass, the Colorado city brought departments together to define nonfunctional turf, map where it exists on city property, and decide where replacement would make the biggest difference.
The finding was striking: Longmont determined that 75% of turf on city property was nonfunctional.
The city’s prioritization tool looks beyond water savings alone. It layers factors such as irrigation water source, savings potential, neighborhood benefits, heat island effects, and other community impacts.
That approach matters because conservation dollars are limited. Longmont is showing how cities can use data to make turf replacement more targeted, more defensible, and more valuable for long-term resilience.
This video is part of Resilience In The Rockies, a series in collaboration with WaterNow.
Thanks to silver sponsors PCL Construction, Norris Design, and the City of Greeley.
waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability. Visit https://www.waterloop.org/
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