Brown Is Beautiful

At least for the moment, we’re not going to run out of water in the aquifers below our feet: According to the Suffolk County Water Authority, there is an estimated 65 trillion to 120 trillion gallons of water in Long Island’s natural underground reservoirs. In just Suffolk County, annual precipitation is typically around 600 billion gallons, with about half reaching the aquifer and replenishing it. The authority pumps about 70 billion gallons per year, so more is flowing in than is being pumped out.

But in the long run, it’s important to remember that the water supply is finite, and there are other factors in play (including pollution and saltwater intrusion) that suggest it would be folly to consider the water supply safe from risk. It very much is not.

There could easily be a paragraph here about saving water by turning the tap off while you brush your teeth, and taking shorter showers — and you should do those things. But the truth is, there’s a much more effective solution to stem the wasteful flow of water on the South Fork.

The bigger problem, especially in the midst of a hot, dry summer, is that the demand for water is taxing the SCWA and Hampton Bays Water Authority pumps, which can’t keep up. There’s one reason for that: lawn and landscape watering, which happens overnight with most modern systems. It’s bad enough that firefighters worry about the hydrants they might tap between midnight and at 7 a.m., when sprinklers and drip hoses have drained the systems dry.

Take the “water hogs” spotlighted in a story in our Residence section last week. They are the tip of the iceberg: More than 300 properties on the South Fork use more than 1 million gallons of water each year, about eight times the average user. Those aren’t just toilets flushing and pools filling. It’s mostly pouring onto lawns and planting areas.

This is not a problem without an answer. Let’s leave plantings alone for now and focus on lawns. Most are much hardier than people realize, and they absolutely do not need to be watered daily. In fact, two deep waterings a week are more effective at growing healthy root systems.

But lawns are resilient; give them too little water, and they will brown for a bit, but bounce right back when conditions improve. So maybe it’s time to change our thinking.

Instead of pouring thousands of precious gallons of water on our lawns (not to mention the fertilizers and chemical additives), how about embracing a healthy, natural partnership with the grass? Instead of perfect carpets of emerald being a status symbol, how about we accept that summer grass can sometimes get a little parched — and that’s okay?

Let’s embrace brown lawns as a symbol that we’ve evolved to be more impressed with people who embody the region’s environmental activism and stand apart from the crowd. Wear the khaki front lawn as a badge of honor, a manifestation of water management over curb appeal.

Brown is beautiful. Pass it on.