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Lawmakers in the American state of Colorado are looking for easy and effective ways to save water.
美国科罗拉多州的立法者正在寻找简单有效的节水方法。
"There's not any more water out there and what water is out there is becoming really expensive.
约翰·伯格伦说：“那里没有更多的水了，那里的水变得非常昂贵。
So, let's look at how we're using it now," said John Berggren.
所以，我们才要研究我们现在该如何使用水。”
He is a water policy expert with Western Resource Advocates, a non-profit group.
他是非营利组织“西部资源倡导者”的水资源政策专家。
Berggren's organization supports an effort by Colorado's lawmakers to launch a statewide turf replacement program.
伯格伦的组织支持科罗拉多州立法者发起的一项全州性的草皮更换计划。
Turf is land covered with grass.
草皮是指长满草的土地。
The program aims to pay home and business owners to replace their grass with other plants and landscapes for the state's dry climate.
该计划旨在拨给家庭和企业主一笔钱，让他们用其他适应该州干燥气候的植物和景观取代他们的草坪。
The legislation would be a way to deal with demand for the state's water, said Colorado state representative Marc Catlin.
科罗拉多州众议员马克·卡特林说，这项立法将是应对该州水资源需求的一种方式。
He spoke at a committee meeting in February.
他在2月份的一次委员会会议上发表了讲话。
Catlin added that the replacement would be completely voluntary.
卡特林还说，更换草坪将完全是自愿的。
Supporters say similar programs across the west have saved billions of liters of water.
支持者表示，整个西部地区的类似计划已经节约了数十亿升水。
Property owners have been paid from a few cents to a few dollars for every square meter of turf they replace.
业主每更换一平方米的草皮，他们就会得到几美分到几美元不等的报酬。
About 19 Colorado cities, water services and water districts already have turf replacement programs.
科罗拉多州大约有19个城市、供水服务部门和水区已经实施了草坪更换计划。
The legislation would offer the same amount of money for those programs.
这项立法将会为这些计划提供相同数额的资金。
The bill would also help local governments launch programs of their own.
该法案还将帮助地方政府推出自己的计划。
People who live in areas without such a program could make a request directly to the state for money.
居住在没有这类计划的地区的人可以直接向州政府申请资金。
Zane Marshall is director of resources and buildings for the Southern Nevada Water Authority.
赞恩·马歇尔是南内华达州水务局的资源和建筑主管。
He said that some grassy places, like parks and sports fields, are functional.
他说，一些长满草的地方，如公园和运动场，是功能性的。
That means they serve a purpose.
这意味着它们是有一定用处的。
Turf replacement programs, like the one in the Las Vegas Valley, center on lawns meant to look nice.
诸如拉斯维加斯谷等地的草坪更换计划主要是为了让草坪看起来更漂亮。
Marshall said that in Las Vegas one tenth of a square meter of grass can use 276 liters of water every year.
马歇尔说，在拉斯维加斯，十分之一平方米的草地每年要消耗276升水。
Replacing that grass with native plants and landscaping can cut that to 82 liters or less.
用本地的植物和景观美化来取代这些草可以减少用水到82升或更少。
The Las Vegas Valley has always been dry.
拉斯维加斯谷一直都很干燥。
The desert area averages 10.7 centimeters of rainfall a year.
沙漠地区的年平均降雨量为10.7厘米。
The people who live there take 90 percent of their water from the Colorado River.
那里的居民90%的水来自科罗拉多河。
The rest comes from an underground water source in the area.
其余的来自该地区的一个地下水源。
Water officials launched the area's Water Smart Landscapes Rebate program in 1999, Marshall said.
马歇尔说，水务官员在1999年启动了该地区的“水智能景观折扣计划”。
The program offered residents $4 for every square meter of lawn that they replaced.
居民每更换一平方米草坪，该计划就向其提供4美元。
Valley residents, apartment managers and business owners took the government's money and replaced their grasses with rocks, Nevada agave and desert marigolds.
山谷里的居民、公寓经理和企业主拿着政府的钱用岩石、内华达龙舌兰和沙漠万寿菊更换了他们种植的草。
Water officials increased the offer to $10 for each square meter in 2003, then $20 in 2007.
水务官员在2003年将报价提高到每平方米10美元，在2007年提高到每平方米20美元。
Now water officials offer $30 for each square meter up to 929 square meters, Marshall said.
马歇尔说，现在水务官员的报价是每平方米30美元，最高可达929平方米。
Property owners in the Las Vegas Valley have removed more than 18.5 million square meters of turf, Marshall said.
马歇尔说，拉斯维加斯谷的业主已经去除了超过1850万平方米的草坪。
That has saved about 741 billion liters of water since the program started, he added.
他还说，自该计划启动以来，已经节约了约7410亿升水。
In Colorado, the city of Greeley's turf replacement program, called Life after Lawn, is younger but still successful, said Water Conservation Manager Dena Egenhoff.
水资源保护经理德娜·埃根霍夫说，在科罗拉多州，格里利市的草坪更换计划名为“草坪之后的生活”，虽然该计划实施的时间较短，但很成功。
Since launching in 2018, the program has helped property owners save an estimated 145 million liters of water.
自2018年启动以来，该计划已帮助业主节省了约1.45亿升水。
"They lower their water bills, and they can still have a beautiful landscape no matter what climate conditions are now or in the future," she said.
她说：“他们的水费降低了，而且不管现在或未来的气候条件如何，他们仍然可以拥有一片美丽的风景”。
The turf replacement program in Castle Rock has also saved millions of liters.
城堡岩的草坪更换计划也节省了数百万升水。
The city has reduced residential water use by 7 percent since starting its replacement program in 2009, said water efficiency supervisor Rick Schultz.
节水主管里克·舒尔茨表示，自2009年开始实施更换草坪计划以来，该市的居民用水量减少了7%。
Non-residential properties became able to get government money in 2019.
2019年，非住宅区开始能够获得政府资金。
Since then, water use has been reduced by about 29 percent, Schultz said.
舒尔茨说，自那以后，用水量减少了约29%。
Representatives of the Colorado Water Conservation Board, the Colorado Cattlemen's Association and the Colorado River District support the state bill.
科罗拉多州水资源保护委员会、科罗拉多州牧民协会和科罗拉多河地区的代表支持这项州法案。
If the measure becomes law, the Colorado Water Conservation Board would have to develop a statewide turf replacement program by July 2023.
如果这项措施成为法律，科罗拉多州水资源保护委员会将不得不在2023年7月之前制定一项全州性的草坪更换计划。
I'm Jonathan Evans.
乔纳森·埃文斯为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
