Water savings calculator
See how much irrigation water a healthy lawn of your size would need in a typical year in your city, what it costs, and how much rinse water turf still uses.
On this page
Water savings are the most quoted benefit of artificial turf, and the most variable. This calculator uses the same model as our water savings by city research page so you can see the number for your yard and the assumptions behind it.
Estimate lawn irrigation water you would stop using
This is the irrigation need of a healthy lawn in an average year, from our model. Actual use depends on your controller, soil and habits.
The model
A lawn needs water roughly in proportion to how much water the air and sun pull out of it, measured as reference evapotranspiration (ETo). Some of that need is met by rain. The rest comes from sprinklers, which waste some of what they apply.
- Lawn need = ETo x crop coefficient. We use 0.6 for warm-season grasses (Bermuda, St. Augustine, zoysia) and 0.8 for cool-season grasses (fescue, bluegrass, ryegrass).
- Net irrigation = lawn need minus effective rain. Effective rain is the share of annual rainfall that falls when and where the lawn can use it: about half in the desert Southwest and Denver, under half in Texas and the humid Southeast, and only a quarter or less in California and Seattle, where most rain falls in winter when lawns barely grow.
- Applied water = net irrigation / irrigation efficiency (75% by default).
- Gallons = applied inches x area x 0.623 (one inch of water over one square foot is 0.623 gallons).
ETo and rainfall values are rounded long-term approximations for each city, so treat results as typical-year estimates rather than measurements.
Why the dollar figure is often small
Water is cheap per gallon in much of the US, so even large volumes translate into modest bills. In most climates the bigger financial savings from turf come from mowing and lawn care, not water; our turf vs grass cost over time model shows this clearly. The water case is strongest where it matters for supply: in the arid West, where outdoor watering is a large share of summer demand. EPA WaterSense estimates that landscape irrigation accounts for nearly a third of residential water use nationally, and a much larger share in hot, dry regions. See WaterSense for national context.
Water turf still uses
Turf is not zero water. Pet areas need regular rinsing to flush urine through the base, and some owners cool turf with water on hot days, which works only briefly. The calculator shows a rinse budget assuming a quarter inch per rinse, monthly to weekly. Our dog urine and turf guide covers how much flushing pet areas really need, and turf heat explains why cooling with water is a poor use of it.
Before you count on a rebate
Many water agencies have run lawn replacement rebates, but programs change and a number of them exclude artificial turf or cap the share of the yard that can be turf. Check rebates, HOA and water rules and confirm with your agency before removing grass.
Frequently asked questions
Is my actual water use higher or lower than this?
Often higher. Many lawns are overwatered by controllers set for midsummer and never adjusted, broken heads and runoff on slopes. If your summer water bill jumps sharply over winter, compare that difference with the result here. Your real savings may be larger than the model shows.
Why does Seattle show more savings than Atlanta?
Seattle gets plenty of rain, but almost all of it falls between October and April. Summers are dry, so a green lawn needs irrigation in exactly the months it grows. Atlanta's rain is spread more evenly through the growing season, so it covers most of the lawn's need.
Should I choose warm-season or cool-season?
Pick the grass you have or would plant. In the South and desert Southwest most lawns are warm-season types, which use less water. Cool-season lawns in hot climates use far more, which is why replacing a fescue lawn in Las Vegas saves the most of any case in our model.
Does drought-tolerant landscaping save as much?
A well-designed xeriscape with drip-irrigated native plants can save nearly as much water as turf, and it keeps soil and habitat alive and stays cooler. It is not a play surface. See turf vs xeriscaping for the full comparison.