USA - Nevada bans grass to battle drought, outlaws 31% of Las Vegas turf as ‘non-functional’. The governor of Nevada has signed legislation banning “non-functional” grass in a bid to conserve water as an extreme drought hits more than two-thirds of the state, drying up its major H2O supply. Signed by Governor Steve Sisolak late last week, the legislation focuses on Nevada’s more populated southern region, giving the state the odd distinction of the first to pass a permanent ban on any type of grass. Other localities have enacted similar prohibitions, but none indefinitely. “It’s incumbent upon us for the next generation to be more conscious of conservation and our natural resources – water being particularly important,” the governor said, adding that a visible “bathtub ring” around Lake Mead, revealing its diminishing water level, only underscores the need to save on the wet stuff.