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DROUGHT Fake grass offers real water savings City wants feedback about artificial grass on median island on Boulevard near Omar's Comment By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Jul. 10, 2015 at 8:34 PM By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Jul. 10, 2015 at 8:34 PM » Social News Even from a relatively close viewpoint, it looks like a uniform carpet of lawn — the only giveaway may be that it's just a little too perfect. It is, in fact, a plastic lawn, a synthetic grass that promises to save lots of water and shrink the city of Ashland’s carbon output from mowing and trimming if it's installed on the medians of Siskiyou Boulevard.  Should the city do it? They want your vote on whether to make the jump to "syn-grass," as it’s called. They’ve set up one small median on the boulevard in front of Omar’s Restaurant, at the Boulevard's intersection with Ashland Street, for you to check out.  Ashlanders are notorious for their love of natural, organic products of all types, but before you demand that we stick with real grass, the city water conservation specialist wants you to know, on just that tiny strip of 825 square feet of median, the city will save $75 to $125 per summer by not watering it. “At the city, we talk in cubic feet of water,” said Julie Smitherman, “and that’s 2,000 to 2,600 cubic feet of water during summer, on that one spot, plus you reduce maintenance with less emissions from mowers.” The water for such irrigation is not Talent Irrigation District (TID) water. It comes directly from the city's Reeder Reservoir, which is in much demand as the present drought slogs through its second year. The city has said lack of snow pack has Ashland facing drought conditions again this year and is asking Ashland residents and businesses to voluntarily reduce water use in order to reduce water demand. “Even small changes can make a huge impact," Smitherman said. "We all need to be conscious of our water use and reduce wherever we can.” The faux-grass on the median by Omar's is only partly conventional plastic. It is 70 percent made from natural oils of soybeans, so it reduces dependency on foreign oil, Smitherman notes. Soybeans, like trees, absorb greenhouse gases, another plus, she says.  The mats are permeable and drain up to 10 inches of water an hour and they don’t contain the controversial crumb rubber infill, made from ground up tires. Instead, the backing is natural silica sand, which reduces bacteria and odor. And what synthetic content there is comes from recycled water bottles. The artificial turf pays itself off in as little as three years, she notes, with reduced water and maintenance costs. The turf has a 15-year warranty and, without much traffic, will last up to 25 years. They cost $5 to $10 per square foot to install.  The artificial turf is one of three pilot projects the city is doing to cut its water use. Another project is installing drought-tolerant plants, as seen in the small triangular park around the “We Are Here” totem pole, where Lithia Way loops back onto North Main Street.  At Mountain Meadows retirement community, the city is partnering with rebates in the planting 730 square feet of drought-tolerant lawn, which uses 30 percent less water than normal grass, she says. The seed is being bred at Turf Grass Water Conservation Alliance in Albany, Oregon. Their grass is third-party tested and peer-reviewed at universities. What the city learns from these tests can be applied to all the city’s plantings. To voice your opinion on the syn-grass medians, send an email to [email protected]. John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected]. By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Jul. 10, 2015 at 8:34 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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