'Cash for Grass' program has transformed 2,000 lawns in Napa

Homeowners in Colorado are replacing their turf with rock and native plants and grasses, to save water and save money on water wills.

Tucson-based Mission Garden’s crops are thriving in a drought-stricken region because of the use of techniques and knowledge from the Tohono O’odham Nation to plant traditional local crops and native plants that can handle the lack of water.

A federally-funded water conservation program, the System Conservation Pilot Program, is paying farmers in the Upper Colorado River Basin to not use the river’s water during the irrigation season. Leaving their fields dry for the program can earn them more money than they would get from growing crops.

A turf buyback program run by the Washington County Water Conservancy District in Utah pays residents to swap their lawns for native plants. It's reducing the amount of water used for landscaping amid a drought.

A study in Arizona found that landscapes that include a mix of desert and high-water-use plants are the best at simultaneously conserving water and limiting the urban heat effect.

Nebraskans struggling to keep their lawns green during droughts are converting to prairie lawns. These lawns include a variety of native grasses and plants that are more resilient to changes in climate and can help retain water in the soil.

Utah’s Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District is encouraging “localscaping” to conserve water by reducing lawns. The concept uses efficient irrigation, native and low-water vegetation, less turf overall, and discourages unnecessary lawns.

Cities in Utah are installing secondary water meters to track how much water residents are using on their lawns. This allows residents to see their usage, compare it to the recommended amount, and cut back when necessary.

Large-scale wastewater recycling is emerging as a crucial response to water shortages in Southern California, exacerbated by the declining Colorado River. The Orange County Water District's Groundwater Replenishment System has successfully produced over 450 billion gallons of recycled water since 2008, creating a reliable, drought-resilient local water source, despite high costs and issues surrounding initial public perception.

A hydraulic network of man-made water tanks built 2,000 years ago, called an ellangawa, collects rainwater that locals in Maeliya, Sri Lanka, can release during the dry season to support the rice crop and recharge the groundwater.