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If you are a Southern California resident, or have been watching news stories about the national weather, then you may know that Southern California is currently suffering from a massive heatwave. For nearly a week, temperatures have rarely been out of the triple digits. Blackouts and brownouts are happening in order to keep the grid from going down, and residents are being told to stay indoors, where there are fans and air conditioning, if possible. The state is trying to fight what is being called the ‘Heat Dome’ while also dealing with a years-long drought.
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To help fight the drought and prevent any potential fires, California officials are asking residents to cut down on their water consumption. That includes things like, only watering your lawn at designated times and taking shorter showers. One major California-based company is also stepping up to help fight the drought — The Walt Disney Company.
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According to a report from The Orange County Register, Disneyland Resort is replacing a large amount of its grass with artificial turf, which will drastically cut down on its water consumption. Per The OCR:
Grounds crews converted the natural grass to artificial turf around the “Storybook” letters floral display on the hillside of the Storybook Land Canal Boats over a three-day period in July. Swapping out the grass for turf on the Storybook hill saves 81,000 gallons of water a year, according to Disneyland officials.
Grass bands around the perimeter of Disneyland Town Square floral beds designed to protect the flowers from curious visitors along with smaller grass planters near Disneyland City Hall were converted to turf in early August.
Disneyland’s garden team worked closely with event planners and Walt Disney Imagineering on the turf projects. Hardscape artificial turf is harder to tear up or trench – which becomes a major issue when seasonal events like the Candlelight Processional are held in Disneyland Town Square.
Artificial turf has also been added to the Adventure Tower lawn at the Disneyland Hotel and to service dog relief areas throughout the theme parks.
Not all former grass areas at Disneyland have been converted to artificial turf. Sometimes bushes, plants and flowers that use less water than grass are planted instead.
When the Disneyland horticulture crew does plant grass, it tries to use warm climate grass rather than cool climate grass — which uses 50% less water.
Credit: Disney
Disney has been working on installing more artificial turf at its Southern California Resort — which includes Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure, and the Downtown Disney District — for years, but these additions are some of the biggest so far. Disneyland Resort is one of the largest employers in the state and also one of the largest tourist attractions, so cutting down on its water consumption can really help the state try to get a handle on the drought.
