announcement of the WaterSense program’s intent to remove the 40 percent turfgrass

restriction from the single-family new home specification. WaterSense’s announcement

culminates three years of the Irrigation Association’s efforts to remove this option from

the new homes specification.
 

Released in December 2009, the final specification of the WaterSense single-family new

home labeling program that enabled a new home to qualify for a WaterSense label

contained two options for landscape design: 1) adhere to a water budget tool, or 2)

restrict the use of turfgrass to 40 percent of the landscapable area. With the recent

announcement by WaterSense, the only requirement for builders wishing to be eligible

for this labeling would be to adhere to the water budget tool.