With Earth Day tomorrow, MDVA is highlighting how one of our Minnesota State Veterans Cemeteries is supporting our sustainability goal.

Earlier this year, MDVA Commissioner Larry Herke and Deputy Commissioner Brad Lindsay presented the Preston Cemetery with an award for its outstanding water conservation efforts. Since 2017, the total amount of irrigation water used at the Preston Cemetery has decreased 27 percent, from 3.37 million gallons in 2017 to 2.1 million gallons in 2019. When asked how this feat was achieved, Cemetery Administrator Robert Gross was proud to give a quick rundown of the procedures. “We use irrigation as a tool to grow healthy/desirable turf, but also want to ensure it is not a crutch for proper grass development. The past three seasons, I have rarely irrigated before the middle to end of June. The idea is to train the grass roots to grow deeper into the soil to scavenge for moisture,” said John Marzolf, Cemetery Foreman and Grounds Supervisor.

Using this controlled drought technique, the roots of the grass are trained to search out moisture, which reduces the need to irrigate. The Cemetery also uses stormwater to irrigate, reducing the runoff of pollutants that could harm the environment and wildlife. Using these methods along with specialized cutting routines and chemicals, the Preston cemetery Continues to ensure our Minnesota State Veterans Cemeteries are beautiful and sustainable.