Sacramento Co. residents question Discovery Park sod project
INVESTIGATED WHY THE COUNTY IS ROLLING OUT GREEN GRASS. WHILE WE’RE BEING ASKED TO LET OUT LAWNS GO BROWN. >> A BIG OPEN SPACE AT DISCOVERY PARK. NOW THE SITE OF A PROJECT THAT CAUGHT ERIC JOHNSON’S ATTENTION. >> I USE THE BIKE TRAIL ON A REGULAR BASIS. I RIDE ALMOST EVERY DAY. >> A FREQUENT PARK GOER. ERIC SAW WORKS UNDERWAY ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE PARK IN RECENT WEEKS. FIRST THE DIGGING OF TRENCHS HE SAYS. THEN THE LAYING OF PIPE. AND NOW THIS. >> THEY HAD HUGE SEMI TRUCKS WITH LARGE ROLLS OF SOD. >> THE SPOT, SACRAMENTO COUNTY REGIONAL PARKS TELLS KCRA 3, IS AN UNDERUTILIZED PORTION OF THE POPULAR PARK. AND IT’S GETTING REVAMPED. ACCORDING TO THE COUNTY. DROUGHT-TOLERANT GRASS IS GOING IN, WHERE OVERFLOW PARKING USED TO BE ITS ONLY CLAIM TO FAME. BUT THAT GOT ERIC AND OTHER VIEWERS WHO REACHED OUT TO US THINKING, WHY NOW? >> WEVE ALL BEEN ASKED BY THE GOVERNOR TO CONSERVE WATER AND NOW IN THE BEGINNING OF AUGUST, ONE OF THE HOTTEST PARTS OF THE YEAR THEYRE LAYING SOD WHICH THEYRE GONNA HAVE TO WATER. >> AND WHY SOD? >> IT DID JUST FINE WITH THE CRABGRASS THAT WAS THERE BEFORE. >> IN A STATEMENT TO KCRA 3. A COUNTY SPOKESPERSON OUTLINED THE PROJECT’S MULTIPLE BENEFITS INCLUDING REDUCTION OF THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT, NON-NATIVE WEED ESTABLISHMENT, SOIL COMPACTION. IMPROVEMENT OF OPEN SPACE AREA FOR DAY USE AND SPECIAL EVENTS INCREASED FORAGING AREA FOR YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIES AND PROVIDING AREAS OF GREEN SPACE FOR THE PUBLIC. >> WE CAN ALWAYS USE MORE GREEN SPACE. I DON’T THINK WE SHOULD BE EXPANDING IT ESPECIALLY WITH SOD THAT NEEDS AN AMAZING AMOUNT OF WATER. >> COUNTY RESIDENTS, AGREEING WITH THE BENEFITS. BUT QUESTION THIS SOLUTION, AT THIS TIME, WHEN WE HEAR SO MUCH ABOUT WATER BEING A SCARCE AND PRECIOUS RESOURCE. >> IF IM CONSERVING IT, AND EVERYBODY ELSE IS CONSERVING IT, HOW IS IT THAT THEYRE LAYING A BUNCH OF NEW SOD. HOW DO YOU JUSTIFY USING ALL THAT WATER.
‘How do you justify using all that water?’: Sac Co. residents question Discovery Park sod project
Sacramento County rolls out green grass when residents are being asked to ‘go gold’
Updated: 7:52 AM PDT Aug 10, 2022
A big open space at Sacramento County’s Discovery Park is now the site of a project that caught Eric Johnson’s attention. A daily user of the park’s bike trail and frequent parkgoer, Johnson, who lives just two miles away, took notice of work underway on the north side of the park in recent weeks.First the digging of trenches, he said, then the laying of pipe.Now, he said, another eye-catching bit of activity is happening at that location.”They had huge semi-trucks with large rolls of sod,” Johnson said. The spot, Sacramento County Regional Parks told KCRA 3, is an underutilized portion of the popular park, and it’s getting revamped. According to the county, drought-tolerant grass is going in where overflow parking used to be its only claim to fame.But that got Johnson and other viewers who reached out to KCRA 3 thinking, why now?”We’ve all been asked by the governor to conserve water,” Johnson said. “And now, in the beginning of August, one of the hottest parts of the year, they’re laying sod, which they’re gonna have to water.”Johnson also questioned, why sod?”It did just fine with the crabgrass that was there before,” he said. In a statement to KCRA 3, a county spokesperson outlined the following, which are said to be the project’s multiple benefits: Discovery Park is adjacent to several disadvantaged and severely disadvantaged communities. Improvements to the park benefit the adjacent neighborhoods and communities.Many people have reduced the areas of green space in their own personal areas, and Regional Parks provides these green spaces for the public, which benefits both physical and mental health.Additional vegetation reduces the urban heat island effect.Reduction of non-native weed establishment (eg yellow-star thistle and stinkwort)Reduction of further soil compactionImprovement of open space area for family picnics, day use, and special eventsIncreases foraging area for Yellow-billed magpiesAs a longtime county resident , Johnson agreed with the benefits of more green space but questions this solution. At this time. When we hear so much about water being a scarce and precious resource.”If I’m conserving it, and everybody else is conserving it, how is it that they’re laying a bunch of new sod?” Johnson said. “How do you justify using all that water?”KCRA 3 reached out to the county for additional information on the project, including how much the sod installation is costing, how many square feet of sod are going in, and when the project is scheduled to be complete. We are still waiting to hear back about those questions.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
A big open space at Sacramento County’s Discovery Park is now the site of a project that caught Eric Johnson’s attention.
A daily user of the park’s bike trail and frequent parkgoer, Johnson, who lives just two miles away, took notice of work underway on the north side of the park in recent weeks.
First the digging of trenches, he said, then the laying of pipe.
Now, he said, another eye-catching bit of activity is happening at that location.
“They had huge semi-trucks with large rolls of sod,” Johnson said.
The spot, Sacramento County Regional Parks told KCRA 3, is an underutilized portion of the popular park, and it’s getting revamped.
According to the county, drought-tolerant grass is going in where overflow parking used to be its only claim to fame.
But that got Johnson and other viewers who reached out to KCRA 3 thinking, why now?
“We’ve all been asked by the governor to conserve water,” Johnson said. “And now, in the beginning of August, one of the hottest parts of the year, they’re laying sod, which they’re gonna have to water.”
Johnson also questioned, why sod?
“It did just fine with the crabgrass that was there before,” he said.
In a statement to KCRA 3, a county spokesperson outlined the following, which are said to be the project’s multiple benefits:
- Discovery Park is adjacent to several disadvantaged and severely disadvantaged communities. Improvements to the park benefit the adjacent neighborhoods and communities.
- Many people have reduced the areas of green space in their own personal areas, and Regional Parks provides these green spaces for the public, which benefits both physical and mental health.
- Additional vegetation reduces the urban heat island effect.
- Reduction of non-native weed establishment (eg yellow-star thistle and stinkwort)
- Reduction of further soil compaction
- Improvement of open space area for family picnics, day use, and special events
- Increases foraging area for Yellow-billed magpies
As a longtime county resident, Johnson agreed with the benefits of more green space but questions this solution. At this time. When we hear so much about water being a scarce and precious resource.
“If I’m conserving it, and everybody else is conserving it, how is it that they’re laying a bunch of new sod?” Johnson said. “How do you justify using all that water?”
KCRA 3 reached out to the county for additional information on the project, including how much the sod installation is costing, how many square feet of sod are going in, and when the project is scheduled to be complete.
We are still waiting to hear back about those questions.