The City of Boulder is testing out eco-friendly ways to replace existing grass with water-efficient, native grasses.

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Completion Date
2026
Current Phase
Implement

Project Overview

Water is vital to our individual health, collective agricultural needs and ecosystems. Conserving water is a key part of the city’s goals, including through supporting community action toward responsible water stewardship and building local climate resilience.

This project will test three herbicide-free ways to replace Kentucky Bluegrass as our community’s interest grows in replacing nonnative plants with alternatives that are adapted to our local environment and the creatures that live here.

The project will result in a project scrapbook of what we learned, including tips for how to do your own eco-friendly grass conversion project.

Visit the project

We encourage you to visit the demonstration site at the northeast corner of Baseline Road and 30th Street to see and touch the new native grass once it is planted as inspiration for your own project.

While the site won’t be fully vibrant until late 2025, you can visit anytime throughout the process. There are three plots. In August 2024, we will reseed the hand-removed plot with native grasses. In June 2025, we will reseed the other two plots since they have a longer removal process.

There is limited parking along the Baseline Frontage Road. Instead of driving, we recommend walking, taking Boulder’s biking routes or riding a bus — there are several bus stops right at the intersection with routes 225, BOUND, W and WL stopping nearby.

Aerial shot of project location, a section of 5000 square feet of grass at the corner of an intersection next to two houses

The project location. 


Sustainable ways to replace grass

This project will explore three environmentally sustainable approaches to replacing grass without herbicides. This approach supports the city’s sustainability values by limiting herbicide use, which can be harmful to soil health and local waterways.

The three methods for grass removal on this project are:

  1. Sheet mulching, which is layering compost and organic materials over the grass. This method will take about 1 year to complete.
  2. Solarization, which is layering plastic sheeting over the grass. This method will take about 1 year to complete.
  3. Hand removal, where staff will remove the grass and any weeds right before planting native seeds. This method will take about one summer to complete.

Photos

If you can't visit the site in person, you can also check back here for photo updates every few months.

June 2024

Path of green and brown kentucky bluegrass next to sidewalk

Before image of project location taken in June 2024. 

Timeline

This is an anticipated timeline; dates may change.

  • July/August 2024: Remove grass from hand-removed plot; plant native grasses on hand-removed plot; lay sheet mulch and plastic sheeting. Sheet mulch and plastic sheeting take a longer amount of time to remove grass and will be in place through June 2025.
  • June/July 2025: Plant native grasses on sheet mulch plot and solarization plot.
  • 2026: Publish project scrapbook for the public.

Frequently Asked Questions

Water conservation is responsible water stewardship, including a beneficial reduction in water use, waste and loss.

Boulder's long-term goals for water conservation include encouraging responsible water stewardship by using water efficiently, recognizing and preventing water waste, and increasing general understanding of the value of water.

Sustainable environments, like those with native plants, use resources responsibly in a way that benefits both our current and future generations. These natural landscapes help create healthy soils, are a home and habitat for native pollinators, and support human health and wellbeing.

This project is also a recommendation of the city's recently completed Water Efficiency Plan, which supports city policies and practices designed to help people change their behaviors and become champions of water efficiency. During community engagement for the Water Efficiency Plan, we heard community interest in learning how to replace nonnative grass without harming the environment.

We’re removing Kentucky Bluegrass, a non-native grass to Colorado. Kentucky Bluegrass is a cool-season grass, which means it needs more water than other native plants to survive.

We will replace the Kentucky Bluegrass with a mix of Buffalo and Blue Grama grass, which are both types of prairie grass that thrive in warmer climates like Boulder.

Throughout the project, we will track how we maintain the project. This might include modifications to our irrigation system and weed management. Once the project is complete, an important part of what’s next is maintaining the native grass with non-chemical techniques.

We will compile what we learn as part of the results — a project scrapbook for interested property owners to use in their own grass conversion project.

Yes! In the long term, native plants require less water to maintain. This saves you money on your water bill, which can add up to significant savings over time. Native plants are also more resilient to drought and other environmental challenges local to Boulder.

Once the project is complete, we will create a project scrapbook for the community on eco-friendly grass replacement. It will include lessons learned, information on how to do your own grass conversion project, and data on cost, maintenance needs and water savings. For additional grass replacement resources like Garden-in-a-Box, visit the Water Conservation Program.

A demonstration grass conversion site on public land supports Boulder's water conservation goals included in city plans and policies, including the Water Efficiency Plan. In 2023, the Colorado Water Conservation Board provided the city with state grant funds in support of grass replacement, with a portion of these funds dedicated to this conversion project.

The project will help develop information on alternative approaches to chemical methods for converting bluegrass to native, water-efficient landscaping, including understanding the cost of the process and maintenance, for both the general public and to inform future water efficiency improvements on city-owned land.

The city also collaborates regionally to support the statewide development of resources on the benefit of using native grasses, including how to install and maintain native grasses. The results of this project will help inform these efforts. We will also continue looking for funding support and ways to reduce water use in city-owned areas.

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