With temperatures pushing into the 90s again today, this seems like a good time to bring you up-to-date on the condition of my unwatered lawn.

Two words: It’s brown.

You may remember that two months ago I wrote a column – “Can this lawn be saved?” – about our decision to stop watering the grass.

News stories were warning of a water shortage, and then I learned that lawns use more than three times as much water as other forms of landscaping. We were using 1,800 gallons a month just to water a small patch of grass. (Santa Rosa residents use 13 million gallons of water per day in December and 32 million gallons per day in July.)

We also scored a sign from the water conservation folks at the city. By way of explaining the brown lawn, it reads: “Water Conservation – Doing Our Part.”

I suspect the neighbors think we’re crazy. But none have complained.

On the other hand, except for a couple of families who have replaced lawns with drought-resistant landscaping, not many have been inspired to launch their own conservation efforts.

Who knows? We may find out someday that our brown-lawn summer wasn’t necessary.

Still, when you combine drought conditions, global warming, new rules to protect endangered species and a shortage of money to build new water projects, it’s difficult to project a future that doesn’t involve stricter limits on water consumption.

In the beginning, more folks will let their lawns turn brown, but eventually, the trend will be to landscaping that uses less water.

On Wednesday, the Windsor Town Council will be voting on the imposition of emergency water restrictions. Staff Writer Clark Mason reported the town is considering a mandatory regimen that limits landscape irrigation to three days a week – with different parts of town watering their lawns and gardens on different days. The rules also limit irrigation to the evenings and early mornings, and prohibit waste.

In the run-up to the long hot summer, Windsor City Manager Matt Mullan delivered what may be the most instructive commentary on lawns: “If the last time you walked on your lawn was when you mowed it, maybe you should consider something else.”

I may be a do-gooder now, but more practical considerations will come along sooner than we think. While no one is going to like accepting new limits on water use, there is one other problem: No will like it either when they turn the faucet and nothing comes out.