EL PASO — For decades, this city in far West Texas defied the look of most desert communities, with neighborhoods boasting lush, green lawns and residents freely running their sprinklers.
Then a study released in 1979 showed just how close El Paso was to a crisis: At its rate of water use, the city would run dry within 36 years.
Over the next couple of decades, the city took drastic measures to stabilize its water supply, undergoing a philosophical and physical face-lift that included ripping up grass from many public places, installing rock and cactus gardens and offering financial incentives for residents to do the same.
Today, El Paso is among the few cities in the drought-stricken state not worrying about water. It is a distinction El Paso leaders attribute to a conservation plan that other cities in less arid climates such as San Antonio and Austin have tried to a limited extent amid receding water resources and booming population growth.
But even in El Paso, the changes have been a tough sell.
“In school, when they told us to draw a house, you would always draw it with grass,” said Fred Fierro, 75, who wakes up early to water his turf.
The Fierros moved into their Cielo Vista neighborhood home in 1964 and “fell in love with the lawns, but now it’s all rocks,” said Fierro’s wife, Soledad, peering out her window at neighbors’ gravel- and cactus-filled front yards, a style that now dominates the local landscape.
Over the past 20 years, El Paso has paid residents a combined $11 million — $1 per square foot — to remove their grass and replace it with gravel, concrete or desert plants.
The city has permanent restrictions on watering days and reduced water consumption by offering special showerheads and rebates for water-efficient toilets.
The plan helped the city avoid a water crisis that other towns across West Texas now face, including the community of Robert Lee, which is rushing to find a new water source before its faucets run dry within the next several months.
Bigger cities facing diminishing water sources in less arid climates are hoping to duplicate El Paso’s success by offering money to their residents in exchange for giving up turf.
El Paso’s desert climate played a large role in its early entry into the conservation effort. The city averages less than 10 inches of rain annually.
The Hueco Bolson aquifer, the city’s main water source, has stabilized since the city plan was implemented in 1991, and a recent study shows El Paso will have a steady supply for at least the next century, said Ed Archuleta, president of El Paso Water Utilities.
The city’s annual water consumption in 2010 had dropped by 1.6 percent since 1990, while its population increased about 36 percent. The utility says the city saved more than $460 million that would have been needed for more pumping and treatment plants to accommodate higher water use.
Average annual rain
El Paso: less than 10 inches
Houston: 50 inches
San Antonio, Austin and Dallas: 30 inches
Average across Texas this year: 9.6 inches
