As Metro Vancouver continues to struggle through a prolonged drought, water reservoirs are so low

that officials have banned all lawn watering. Formerly lush neighbourhoods are now brown wastelands, except where residents either illegally water their lawn (as westside gardening enthusiast Darius Smith admits to doing) or replace them with the increasingly popular synthetic ones.

Vancouver homeowner, Annette Basi, recently installed artificial grass on her property and, except

for the steep price tag, couldn’t be happier. “It’s nylon, it’s fake, but it rocks! It looks like the real deal, it’s always green, and it’s super low maintenance. It’s totally eco-friendly. No sprinkling, no pesticides. Just a bit of vacuuming.”

Across the border, homeowners in drought-ravaged California have begun installing artificial lawns as officials are now offering them cost rebates as a financial incentive for their installation. But in Vancouver, Nick Lorimer, a city engineer, recommends that a bylaw be passed requiring residents to purchase a permit before installing an artificial lawn or face a hefty fine. “This is already the case in Toronto, and rightly so. Artificial grass has many advantages, but the fibre it’s made from isn’t highly permeable. It doesn’t drain rainwater efficiently, especially if it’s plastic rather than nylon. With heavy rains, these lawns could contribute to flooding,” states Lorimer. The other issue is front lawn encroachments. “On front yards, fake turf often encroaches on city-owned property, hampering street cleaning and snow removal,” says Lorimer.

Ottawa resident Joanne Persky would prefer an outright ban on artificial lawns. “They disrupt the ecosystem,” she argues. “Ground vegetation absorbs carbon dioxide and emits oxygen, which is essential for life. It also helps regulate atmospheric temperatures. Natural fibres breathe, synthetics don’t. Also, grass is food, and soil is home to earthworms, insects, and other things birds eat. As for humans, we don’t know, yet, if synthetic lawns are safe. Along with spray-on lawn dyes, artificial grass may prove carcinogenic,” continues Persky.

The water-conscious alternative, says Persky, is neither artificial nor real grass. “What you need is diverse and hardy natural ground cover,” she insists. “I’ve planted my whole yard with mosses, herbs, and perennial wildflowers. I never water it, and it’s always thriving.”