Project

Driving Non-Functional Turf Conversion with Data

WaterNow Project

Longmont, CO

Xeriscape_garden_2014_-_2 (cropped) | WaterNow

The City of Longmont wanted to reduce non-functional turf (NFT) on city-owned property to move toward more sustainable water consumption but faced two challenges: (1) no internal consensus about what constituted NFT; and (2) uncertainty about how much water was being dedicated to NFT or could be saved through landscape change outs.

WaterNow facilitated a dialogue to define NFT across City departments, then developed a data-driven analysis to help the City establish a goal for NFT reduction within its financial means. The project is a model for how to reduce outdoor water demand while maintaining high-quality public spaces.

Project Information

Dates:

2023 – 2024
Topics:

Conservation & Efficiency; Distributed Infrastructure; Technical Assistance; Funding & Financing
Population size:

100,000 to 500,000
Challenges:

Drinking Water; Equity; Drought & Water Scarcity; Population Growth
Benefits:

Enhanced Community Engagement; Increased Cost Savings; Increased Water Use Efficiency; Increased Stormwater Capture; Enhanced Urban Greening; New Recreation Opportunities; Reduced Urban Heat

IMPACT

This data analysis from this project revealed about 75% of the turf on city-owned property was non-functional. Converting much of this NFT to low-water landscapes could save Longmont:

170 AFY

(low NFT replacement scenario)
290AFY

(high NFT replacement scenario)

The City is actively pursuing these savings and implemented 4 projects in 2025 converting turf into inviting, low-water landscapes at public buildings and parks.

APPROACH

1. NFT Definition.

We convened stakeholders from across the City’s departments – including the Arts and Public Places, Community and Neighborhood Resources, Transportation, Planning, Engineering, and Parks and Natural Resources teams – to develop a shared working definition of NFT to ground the spatial analysis.

Stakeholder word cloud in response to the question: What locations in your community do you encounter NFT?

NFT Definition Word Cloud

The group ultimately agreed to the definition below, to inform its NFT identification.

Longmont, CO_Public Media Building(2) | WaterNow

Longmont NFT Definition

“Non-functional turf” is cool-season, high-water-use grass that is ornamental by design, not regularly used for recreation, requires significant inputs to maintain (for example, water, fertiliz“Non-functional turf” is cool-season, high-water-use grass that is ornamental by design, not regularly used for recreation, requires significant inputs to maintain (for example, water, fertilizer, mowing, etc.) and has few ecological co-benefits. It is often located in medians, right-of-ways, detention ponds, greenways, around municipal buildings and areas in sport/athletic complexes, and underutilized areas of parks (for example, near ditches).” er, mowing, etc.) and has few ecological co-benefits. It is often located in medians, right-of-ways, detention ponds, greenways, around municipal buildings and areas in sport/athletic complexes, and underutilized areas of parks (for example, near ditches).”

2. Setting the NFT Reduction Target.

WaterNow used data analytics to help inform Longmont about the amount of water being used on City-owned NFT, and the potential for water savings.

We found that NFT accounted for 75% of City-owned/maintained property, primarily in parks and ditches, and 44% of this is irrigated with drinking quality water. Taking into account budget considerations, this analysis enabled the City to establish a goal for NFT conversions to low water landscaping of ~1 acre per year.

Takeaways

Engaging the community directly, and exploring how NFT is defined elsewhere, is key to establishing a local consensus approach.
Spatial analysis can be a great tool to help quantify how much water is being used for non-essential purposes, often with surprising results.
This project equipped Longmont with a specific turf conversion goal, a budgeting tool, and a prioritization framework to guide future municipal conversions.
These outputs informed long-term water conservation planning, supported updates to the City’s Water Efficiency Master Plan, and created a scalable approach that could be applied to other property types.

Native Landscaping Garden Path | WaterNow

NEWS & EVENTS

View all

aurorawater_contemplative_mg_5044_slideshow-1 | WaterNow

News

WaterNow Announces Second Round of Colorado Regional Accelerator Projects

Resources

View all

Longmont, CO_Public Media Building (1) | WaterNow

Factsheet

Rocky Mountains

Key Findings on Identifying, Prioritizing, and Converting Non-Functional Turf

Conservation & Efficiency

Report

Rocky Mountains

Funding and Financing Resources: Non-Functional Turf Conversion in Colorado

Conservation & Efficiency

join us

WaterNow members get free access to technical assistance,  toolkits, training, and our network of local water leaders.

Learn more

Our Work

Resources

Community

Our Work

Resources

Community

Driving Non-Functional Turf Conversion with Data

IMPACT

APPROACH

Longmont NFT Definition

Takeaways

NEWS & EVENTS

WaterNow Announces Second Round of Colorado Regional Accelerator Projects

Resources

Key Findings on Identifying, Prioritizing, and Converting Non-Functional Turf

Funding and Financing Resources: Non-Functional Turf Conversion in Colorado

join us

About

Our Work

Resources

Community

Latest

Contact