Then again, I suppose there are not any thirsty people, so....
"Homeowners pine for greener pastures; As drought turns lawns brown, residents bemoan watering limits" by Megan Woolhouse, Globe Staff | July 17, 2010
HOLLISTON — Despite the spring deluge that caused widespread flooding, a long stretch of dry, hot weather has forced officials in about 30 communities to enact watering bans or restrictions. That means trying times for suburban homeowners who have invested in expensive irrigation systems or turf that once rivaled a golf course but now resembles straw.
Some defiantly break the rules and continue to water — secretly at night, if need be — while others, like Henry Kerstgens, simply concede defeat.
David Mellor, Fenway Park’s director of grounds and a Major League Baseball groundskeeper for 26 years, said he understands the plight of homeowners who spent hours toiling over their lawns (or paid someone to do it for them) only to watch them wither. Keeping Fenway’s field a dazzling emerald color can be a struggle with rain scarce and heat plentiful, even with meticulous care and near-constant grooming.
Ah, yes, the all-important ballpark, sigh!
Sometimes drastic measures are required to maintain appearances — the grounds crew covers unsightly brown patches with a dye called “Green Lawnger.’’
“Use a dye if you’re that concerned about it,’’ Mellor advised homeowners....
Yeah, DUMP CHEMICAL$ ON IT, that's the answer to everything in AmeriKa!
Grass needs at least an inch of water a week....
There was, of course, plenty of water last spring, when torrential rains not only saturated yards but filled basements across the region.
See:
- The Great New England Flood of 2010
- Around New England: You Can't Clean Up Vermont
- Around New England: Cleaning Up in Maine
- Around New England: The Roads of Rhode Island
- Around New England: Cleaning Up in Connecticut
Seems like a long time ago now, right?
Turning of the seasons.
However, rainfall was below normal in May and June, according to the National Weather Service, and recent temperatures in the 90s further stressed grass, putting lawns into a deep summer sleep. Specialists say flash rains haven’t soaked the ground long enough to make a difference.
Clark Bedford’s Hingham lawn is a rolling, luscious expanse that covers most of his nearly four-acre property. He installed a well and an elaborate sprinkler system to make every corner as green as a billiard table top.
“It’s my personal preference,’’ Bedford said. “As far as I’m concerned, grass is king.’’
Hingham’s water supplier, Aquarion Water Co., enacted a watering ban earlier this month, and because he didn’t post a sign announcing “well water,’’ Bedford was one of 200 residents who recently received a warning ordering them to halt watering.
Aquarion’s Harry Hibbard said the water supply has been under “significant strain’’ and the company was concerned it might affect the town’s ability to fight fires. He and other workers have patrolled the town at 4 a.m. in recent weeks looking for unauthorized water use. No one was fined, but Hibbard said repeat violators could have their water shut off; it would cost $50 to $325 to have service restored.
Never underestimate the ability of a bankrupt state, city, or town to find new sources of revenue.
Hopkinton resident Mike Arakelian said he would not mind seeing enforcement efforts in his community, about 25 miles west of Boston where drought conditions are more serious. Because of what the town website calls an “extreme extended dry period,’’ residents are allowed to use sprinklers only two days a week, and not between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on any day. Irrigation systems must be set to “the bare minimum’’ for lawn maintenance, but the rules do not define what a minimum is.
Arakelian said he has noticed that some lawns, while not lush, are green, while his is a pale yellow. As he spoke on a recent afternoon, a neighbor’s lawn on Hayden Rowe Street was being doused by four sprinklers.
“I don’t see why you can’t fine them,’’ Arakelian said. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see who has a green lawn.’’
*************
Some homeowners, like Carol Virdinlia of Natick, view the water ban as liberation from mowing and maintenance and a chance to “let nature take its course.’’
That is the first damn thing I have agreed with in this PoS front-page filler.
Unlike most of her neighbors at Algonquian Estates, a subdivision with large lawns, she does not have an irrigation system and said she prefers her uniformly brown lawn to her neighbors’ tan and green patchworks.
“I’d rather have it all brown than spots,’’ she said.
Yet others cling to the dream....
--more--"Yeah, MSM urine will make it brown, won't it?
And who do you call for lawn care, America?
See: BP Mows the Grass
