Lush green lawns, a symbol of the American way of life, are under attack in California, where "cash for grass" programs have sprouted like weeds amid a severe drought.

 

With the western US state struggling to conserve water, locals are re-landscaping their outdoor spaces as attitudes shift about what constitutes an attractive yard.

 

And municipal monetary incentives -- reflecting the dire circumstances depleting reservoirs and underground aquifers -- are making it that much easier for many to make the switch.

 

Los Angeles, for example, is offering $3 for every square foot of grass that is replaced with more water-efficient options such as drought-tolerant plants, rocks and pebbles.Under the "Cash in Your Lawn" incentive, property owners can get up to $6,000 for making the conversion.

Two weeks ago, Governor Jerry Brown took emergency measures aimed at the watering of lawns, forbidding residents from doing so more than twice a week.He has also temporarily prohibited fines that some communities and homeowner associations typically impose on people who let their lawns turn brown during the summer months for tarnishing a neighborhood's image.

 

In local media, meanwhile, readers and editorials calling for banning the watering of lawns and especially golf courses have multiplied of late as farmers face restrictions.

 

Photo: worker sprays green water-based paint on a partially dead lawn at the Almaden Valley Athletic Club in San Jose, California.