"In Arid Southwest, Cities Expand But Use Less Water"

"Phoenix reduced its residential water consumption in the past decade despite a 23 percent rise in population. Las Vegas recycles water from indoor drains and outdoor fountains."

"LAS VEGAS AND PHOENIX — Mat Baroudi used to have a backyard of grass, consuming 55 gallons of water per square foot. Now it’s stone floor with a gazebo and a fire pit in the center. Jasmine, flowering plum and Australian bottle trees dot the yard. Two tortoises, Blaze and Dmitri, bask in what passes for early morning cool.

For Mr. Baroudi, the benefits are many: Lower water bills, conserving water, reducing waste and no lawn mowing. On top of that, the local water authority here in Las Vegas pays people $2 per square foot to replace their grass lawns with desert landscaping. By his reckoning that can cover about half the cost for the conversion.

Baroudi, born in Uganda and educated in England with an accent to match, runs his own landscaping company named, cheekily, An English Gardener. He’s been involved with landscaping ever since maintaining the grounds at his English boarding school."

Zack Colman reports for the Christian Science Monitor February 28, 2017.