Thursday, October 15, 2026
An idea floated by our Center for Cost Effective Government would provide incentives for homeowners and businesses on Long Island to switch to lawns that require less watering and less fertilizer.
We Long Islanders love our lawns. A well-watered and manicured layer of sod in front of a single-family home always looks great. For many, these lawns are emblematic of the American dream, a piece of post-war suburban heaven.
But lawns can be resource-intensive. They require extensive maintenance, which can include huge use of water. With rising water bills on Long Island, any opportunity to save money would be welcome.
Then there is the environmental impact of the massive quantities of fertilizer we use to support our charming green lawns. Traditionally, Long Islanders tend to use Kentucky bluegrass, which is kelly-green, flush and pleasant to the eye, but it also requires a great deal of watering and fertilizer.
Tall fescue grass, on the other hand, requires about 33 percent less nitrogen fertilizer than Kentucky bluegrass — roughly 2 to 3 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet annually, compared with higher-input lawns.
Tall fescue generally requires 1 to 1½ inches of water per week, about 25 percent less than Kentucky bluegrass. It handles heavy use and wear much better than fine fescues or Kentucky blue. It grows well in various soil types found across the region, and tolerates moderate shade.
The Berkshire Botanical Garden notes that alternative seeds such as creeping red, hard fescue and chewing fescue can reduce fertilizer and water needs by half. While the Kentucky grass has roots of 4 to 8 inches, fescue roots go much deeper — up to 2 to 3 feet, to tap water in the ground.
The North and South Rivers Watershed Association notes that watering a 1-acre lawn with just 1 inch of water consumes 26,000 gallons — more than it takes to fill a 16- by 32-foot swimming pool.
So how do we change our culture on Long Island to begin a transition to more environmentally friendly grass seed? The answer is, the same way we promote change in other areas — by creating monetary incentives.
The city of Redlands, Calif., does just that for more environmentally friendly lawns. Its Water Conservation turf rebate gives homeowners $1 per square foot of grass that is replaced with drought-tolerant or irrigationless landscaping, up to $1,000. The rebate comes back to them as a credit on their water bill. The program involves a preliminary inspection, and a post-replacement inspection confirms the work and releases the credit.
Why not have a similar incentive put in place through the Suffolk County Water Authority, or through the county’s sewer and cesspool program that was passed via a referendum in 2024?
Communities that pool together and convert a certain percentage of their lawns to the new turf could become eligible for further credits, thereby spurring a we’re-all-in-it-together movement.
And to start it all off, municipalities can serve as role models by taking the lead in transitioning to these more environmentally appropriate grasses.
We realize this isn’t for everyone. Some people just love their Kentucky bluegrass. And that’s why it shouldn’t be a mandate. But incentives never hurt anyone.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation is shortly going to hold hearings on ways to reduce fertilizers on Long Island. How about starting with this turf-friendly tax credit?
Steve Levy is executive director of the Center for Cost Effective Government, a fiscally conservative think tank. He has served as Suffolk County executive, as an assemblyman and as host of the podcast “On the Right Side.”
