Desert Water grants Palm Springs airport three-year turf-compliance extension

Desert Water grants Palm Springs airport three-year turf-compliance extensionPalm Springs International Airport will have until 1 January 2030 to remove about 330,000ft2 of nonfunctional turf under Desert Water Agency's Ordinance 80. The agency estimates the conversion could cost $2.3 million-$4 million, while board members pressed the airport and city over ongoing water waste.

The board approved the extension to the airport's Ordinance 80 deadline from 1 January 2027 to 1 January 2030; Secretary-Treasurer Ortega abstained.

The airport is expected to remove roughly 330,000ft2 of nonfunctional turf, or about 97% of its existing grass landscaping, while retaining around 10,000ft2 for functional uses.

Desert Water estimates turf-removal costs at $7-$12/ft2, putting the project cost at approximately $2.3 million-$4 million.

The airport must secure funding through its fiscal years 2028-30 budget cycle and obtain signatory-airline approval for capital projects above $1 million.

Desert Water staff will meet the airport every six months; failure to comply by the extended deadline would place the airport under the ordinance's normal penalty structure.

Desert Water Agency has approved a three-year extension for Palm Springs International Airport to comply with the utility's restrictions on irrigation of nonfunctional turf, pushing the airport's deadline from 1 January 2027 to 1 January 2030. The airport is expected to remove approximately 330,000ft2 of nonfunctional grass across its property, including areas at both ends of the runways and in front of the terminal. It has requested that around 10,000ft2 remain classified as functional turf, including pet-relief areas and an outdoor area near the Sonny Bono Concourse. Staff said the proposed conversion would remove about 97% of the airport's current grass landscaping. Desert Water estimated removal costs at $7-$12/ft2, implying a total project cost of $2.3 million-$4 million. The airport needs to incorporate the work into its fiscal years 2028-30 budget and obtain approval from its signatory airlines, which must approve capital projects above $1 million. The extension was granted under the discretionary-compliance provision in Ordinance 80, adopted by the board in August 2025 in response to California's AB 1572 requirements for nonfunctional turf. Staff recommended approval based on the airport's good-faith conservation efforts and economic hardship. Under the airport's proposed schedule, 2027 would be used to evaluate operational, safety and security needs, prioritize areas, develop cost estimates and identify early conversion opportunities. In 2028, it would advance major turf-removal, irrigation-retrofit and new-landscaping work. The final year would focus on completing the programme and verifying compliance. Staff will meet airport representatives every six months to review progress. If the airport does not meet the 2030 deadline, it would become subject to the same penalty structure as other Ordinance 80 customers continuing to irrigate nonfunctional turf. The decision followed pointed board criticism of existing irrigation practices at the airport and elsewhere in Palm Springs. Directors cited water spraying onto roads, sidewalks and parking areas, and questioned why the airport had not prepared earlier for the state requirement. Vice President McKenna said the board had to balance those concerns against the airport's economic importance and the operational constraints associated with work near active aviation facilities. The motion passed with four votes in favour; Secretary-Treasurer Ortega abstained. Board members also stressed that the extension does not remove the airport's obligation to control current water waste while it develops the conversion project.