Landscape Architect Articles

Reflections on Water07-12-16 | Department

Reflections on Water
Editor Mike Dahl

This issue is about water. And I have an increasing issue with water. More to the point – I am frustrated by the issues, personally and globally, that water causes.

Of the three essentials to sustain human life, water seems to be the biggest troublemaker. Food can be scarce to many, and unhealthy where it is not scarce but chosen unwisely, but for the most part, our ability to feed ourselves seems to be advancing, thanks to scientific breakthroughs and technological innovations, to somewhat keep pace with population gains and hopefully even reduce the percentage of underfed people.

Air? Well it is more polluted than our pre-industrial age ancestors inhaled, which takes a toll on an average lifespan, but then again we are all living much longer, thanks again to scientific breakthroughs and technological innovations, than even our closest ancestors.

But that agitator water.

On a personal level I am agitated that I put zero of it down on my lawn last year out of concern for the continuing drought in Southern California and in anticipation of the deluge that El Niño was predicted to bring. We did receive some major storms but the deluge – many storms back to back that, in the past, would turn my backyard into a small lake that my young son would happily stomp around in wearing his yellow raincoat and boots, providing his parents with some great memories and video footage – never materialized.

So now I have a patchwork of different types of grass, clumps of clover and dried thatch for a lawn. Tearing it out and starting over is the most effective solution, but that will have to wait since the predictions for a La Niña, which tends to bring more drought conditions in this area, are strong and I can't bring myself to install new turf, even drought tolerant turf, with that looming (at least that is what I tell myself – money is not the issue).

I could opt for xeriscape but that would upset my wife, and artificial turf would probably only be an option if we plan to sell as we both value the environmental benefits that our patchwork lawn provides more than we value what our neighbors think of it (and if I keep it mowed, it's not the ugliest lawn on the block). So we will continue to weed, reseed, water sparingly this summer and hope for improvement.

The myriad of issues that water causes globally can be illustrated by looking no farther or further back than the recent floods in Texas and West Virginia. This is water that kills from abundance while people die from lack of water, especially potable water, daily. Why can't water just be more equally distributed so we can all have enough to be safely quenched, grow food, have ample green spaces and never have to worry about drowning from too much of it?

These problems might never be completely solved but many people, especially those in the green industry, are working to improve conditions through better stormwater management, more effective rainwater harvesting methods, increased water conservation efforts, advanced desalination technology and more. So my frustrations are tempered with encouragement.

And with that, I invite you to enjoy the articles in this issue that highlight the many ways that water enriches our lives besides sustaining them. It also soothes us, provides us with recreation and exercise, cools us in the summer heat, and enhances our surroundings.

As seen in LC/DBM magazine, July 2016.