Drought California Lawns: ‘Cash In Your Lawns’ Program Makes A Splash In California

The drought in California has some giving up their lawns… literally.

According to NewsOXY, a new government-run program called “Cash in your lawns” has residents in California making some easy money. You see, since people are having a hard time keeping their yards green without water, many are taking advantage of this new program that pays $3 per square foot of green turf.

Basically, if you have anything green left, you can turn it in and get paid. Your landscape can then be replaced with drought-friendly materials such as succulents, herbs, lavender, pebbles, and even fake grass (though you have to pay for that). Sprinkler systems are also being replaced by many homeowners, and a lot of people in the state are not complaining about going green — especially because many of them are making money by doing so.

The drought in California has killed lawns, turning them into dry wastelands of brown. Weeds have taken over in most yards, which is completely unpleasant. According to The Spread It, the “Cash in your lawn” program will pay residents up to $6,000 to participate. The hope is that water usage will be cut down on a large scale, thus helping control droughts in the future.

“By cutting down their water usage, [residents] are helping the Golden State, which has been suffering from a three-year drought, which is affecting the water supply of 38 million Californians. Another reason for inhabitants to ditch their watering consuming turfs, are what is locally known as the water police. Officers from the Water Conservation Response Unit in Los Angeles, often receive calls about people wasting water via their lawn sprinklers and washing their cars. Those who get busted are fined $500.”

The drought in California responsible for the death of thousands of lawns is the worst that it has ever been. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, 58 percent of the state of California is now suffering from the drought. There have been some serious water restrictions put into place, but many believe that the key to coming out of this on the other side is going green.

If thousands more residents decide to “cash in” their lawns, it’s possible that the drought won’t be as big of a problem. While it’s not expected to be resolved over night, many hope that the state will one day see much better conditions when it comes to their landscapes.

For those who don’t want to participate in the new program, they have few other options if they want green grass. One option is basically spray paint. Some people have “hired professionals to spray their dry grass with bright green pigment-based natural paint,” according to The Spread It.

[Photo courtesy of John Harvey / Wikimedia Commons]