This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

ROSEVILLE —

“We’re replacing grass, ornamental grass that has no real use,” says Maurice Chaney.

Grass back to dirt, and dirt to landscaping.

By transforming this 90,000 square feet of grass in front of the Roseville Electric and Corporation Yard, city spokesperson Maurice Chaney says the city is saving about 5 million gallons of water per year.

Roseville residents can also get in on that savings.

“We are actually encouraging folks to take advantage of a program we have called Cash for Grass, where customers can get up to $1,000 if they replace their turf and install water-wise landscaping,” Chaney said.

Saving water is around your house is as easy as a trip to the hardware store.

Jerry Smith, manager at Hollywood Hardware on Freeport Blvd. in Sacramento, says he’s noticed more people coming in to replace leaky plumbing.

But Smith says something as small as this water restrictor placed behind your shower head can seriously reduce your water use.

“It cuts it down probably 25-40% of the volume of water that comes through,” Smith said.

In the garden, adding a top layer to the soil, like cedar mulch, can help other plants.

“It absorbs water and holds the moisture much better than soil,” said Smith.