Evapotranspiration of Residential Lawns Across the United States

Abstract

Turfgrass lawns in residential yards can have significant water requirements. However, it is difficult to estimate how much water is consumed by lawns in households that vary in landscape type, management, and climate both within and across different cities. We visited 79 residential households in the United States and measured water use, or evapotranspiration (ET), of turfgrass lawns in six cities with different climates and yard management practices. Lawns used 0.6–1.3 mm of water per day in humid cities, and 2.2–3.6 mm per day in hot and dry cities. Lawn water use was more strongly influenced by climate, particularly solar radiation, than yard landscape type when comparing lawns of similar sizes. However, we found that most yards with conventional landscape types had much larger lawns than yards designed for water conservation or certified to be wildlife friendly. Therefore, the total estimated water use of lawns in each yard differed considerably among households. We conclude that widespread adoption of alternative yard landscape types such as xeriscaping, rain gardens, and wildlife-certified may effectively reduce lawn water consumption in US cities.

Citation

Grijseels, Noortje H.; Litvak, Elizaveta; Avolio, Meghan L.; Bratt, Anika R.; Cavender‐Bares, Jeannine; Groffman, Peter M.; Hall, Sharon J.; Hobbie, Sarah E.; Lerman, Susannah B.; Morse, Jennifer L.; Narango, Desiree L.; Neill, Christopher; O'Neil‐Dunne, Jarlath; Padullés Cubino, Josep; Trammell, Tara L. E.; Pataki, Diane E. 2023. Evapotranspiration of Residential Lawns Across the United States. Water Resources Research. 59(6): e2022WR032893. 19 p. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022WR032893.