SAWS wants to help you rescue your drought-weary landscape. Check out our Drought Recovery Toolkit rebates to convert turf grass to mulched beds or pervious hardscape.

When it comes to your lawn, how much is too much? Before World War II, lawns were not a major component of the American landscape. But with the explosion of suburbia, large expanses of grass became commonplace.

Things began to change in the '70s with evidence that chemicals from our lawns were polluting streams and lakes. Others began questioning whether lawns were important enough to permit a limited resource like fresh water to be used on them. This year, we South Texans have begun to wonder why we have lawns at all.

Add up all the heat, drought, chemicals, fuel, water, labor and regulations, and it's a wonder why anyone would even desire a big yard. This year – with the region's worst drought in decades still looming over us – many people have simply let their lawns die. Sure, recent rains have helped, but technically, we're still in a drought. The best solution is to minimize the amount of grass in your landscape.

Reducing a typical landscape from 75 percent turf to less than 50 percent can shrink your outdoor watering bill significantly. Why? Flowering perennials and shrubs use 50 percent less water than turf does. Expanding beds with mulch alone or combining them with a pervious hardscape can reduce your outdoor water bill even more. SAWS now offers two rebates available just for this purpose. Check our Web site www.saws.org for more details.

Mark A. Peterson is a conservation project coordinator for San Antonio Water System.