It used to be that when walking around the streets of Newton, I would look with envy at those homes with their plush, dark green,weed-free lawns.
But while on a stroll through the Highlands last night, I realized that my attitude has changed. Now I look at folks with the deep green lawns and wonder how in good conscious those homeowners can continue to pour gallons of water onto their lawns in the middle of our worst drought in a decade?
I write this realizing that — technically — Newton is not under any water restrictions because the water levels at the Quabbin remain “normal.” So am I wrong? Is it perfectly fine to still be watering our lawns as long as the Quabbin has all the water we need? Are you watering your lawn? Is your family taking any other steps to save? Or what time can I come by and run under your sprinkler?
Side note: Yesterday in the Highlands, water spraying from a lawn sprinkler drew a flock of about two dozen birds, fluttering in it as if it were a giant bird bath or bird waterpark. It made me think how thirsty/desperate wildlife must be in these conditions.
I don’t see any reason to fret over this till there’s a legitimate warning or order from the state authorities.
I don’t have much of a lawn and I never really bother to water it. It’s definitely the worst it’s looked in the 11+ years I’ve lived in this house. I do water our veggie garden, though.
I’ve was born and have lived in Newton for most of my 79 years. I have never seen the Charles River as low as it is now. Yesterday, I was walking along the Charles on Concord Street in Newton Lower Falls close to Saint Mary’s Church. There was no apparent free running water, just a series of large unconnected pools. Today I was driving past the Cambridge Reservoir on Route 2 and it’s the same story there. The only free running water is at the deepest parts of the Reservoir astride 128. We replenish two bird baths with water virtually every day, but you just know the animals are really suffering. I also don’t water my lawn and most of my neighbors do not either. Fortunately, it will take more than this to threaten the gift that Quabbin keeps giving us; I’m more concerned about what the drought is doing to groundwater supplies. We’re already using more than is being replaced under normal weather conditions and a continuation of this drought could have severe ramifications. It’s one reason I opposed allowing Newton homeowners to bypass MWRA sewer charges by digging wells and tapping into groundwater for lawn and garden watering with a separate water meter. It’s just a hunch, but we might need that underground supply at some distant or not too distant time.
Thanks for the reminder about the animals. Will definitely fill the bird bath.
I attended a Conservators affair a few years ago and heard a talk on bio-diversity. On the green scale, lawns are a smidge above driveways. Lawn grasses are invasives (Kentucky blue grass, anyone?). Lawns support very few bugs, which means that lawns do not indirectly support local song birds and other animals. Lawns require water, fertilizer, and resource-intensive maintenance (leaf-blowers, anyone?).
We’re reduced our lawn-print by about half in recent years and will probably reduce further this fall or next spring.
Not tomorrow, but soon enough we’ll all wonder why there’s so much lawn in Newton. In so many cases, pure ornament at a great environmental cost.
#moretrees