Folsom Tries To Make Most Of Watering Parks During Drought

FOLSOM (CBS13) — The city of Folsom is taking a new approach to keeping the grass green after four years of drought.

A lot of cities have been hit hard by the drought their parks turning brown, well here in Folsom, they are trying something new and doing something of a science experiment at a park.

Bruno Davila and his friend Erik Know can see the drought's impact. PAtches of dry grass dot the astroturf field where they play soccer.

"Our lawn, since the laws aren't letting us use that much water, are definitely getting a little dry," said Bruce Davila.

But there may be a new way to get more green per drop in Folsom.

Lorraine Poggione with the parks department has been working on an experiment at Windsor Park, adding the soil moisture product Hydretain to different parts of the grass—the pellets help the grass hold onto water.

"This area here was the one day a week water, and it's not doing that well," she said.

But the patch of grass with two days of watering and the pellets looks lush and better than two days of watering and no pellets. She says the product is safe for kids and animals on the grass.

She says it can cost about $2,000 a year per acre. While that can add up, it's better than letting the grass die.

"Replacing the turf, is significantly more than the cost of using a product like this," she said.