Brown strips, bare circles and islands of bright green have become hard to miss across Power Ranch. Recent aerial views show an uneven pattern: in some parks, sprinklers are running beside turf that remains thin or discolored, while in other areas green bands sit directly next to dry-looking ground.
The pattern does not point to one community-wide failure. Power Ranch Community Association records indicate several overlapping factors: localized irrigation problems in an extensive system, gopher damage, summer stress and the seasonal transition of Bermuda grass, plus longer-term decisions about where winter ryegrass is worth the water and expense.
A large irrigation system with many points of failure
Power Ranch maintains more than 280 acres of landscaping, including more than 14,000 trees and roughly 650,000 plants, according to the association’s landscape information page. Irrigation water comes from three wells about 700 feet deep, travels roughly two miles to the Ranch House and Barn lakes, and then moves through pump stations and approximately 3,000 valves. A weather station helps adjust irrigation to changing conditions.
That scale matters. A valve, sprinkler head, pipe, controller or pressure issue can affect one zone while nearby turf continues to receive water. The sharp edges and isolated green patches visible in several photos are consistent with zone-by-zone differences, although an aerial image alone cannot identify the exact mechanical problem below ground.
Power Ranch has publicly acknowledged localized trouble before. A 2024 community operations update described patchy turf and said crews were troubleshooting irrigation issues in areas including The Arroyo.
Gophers and damaged turf add another layer
Irrigation is not the only issue. The same 2024 update reported significant gopher activity in The Willows. Gophers can damage roots, disturb soil and create bare spots that do not recover simply because a sprinkler turns on.
The association’s approved 2026 budget narrative allocates $170,628 for gopher remediation and describes two technicians working a combined 80 hours per week. That level of spending suggests the problem is being treated as an ongoing landscape-management issue rather than an occasional nuisance.
Seasonal turf can make the contrast more visible
Most warm-season lawn at Power Ranch is Bermuda grass. Some prominent areas are overseeded with ryegrass for winter, while other turf is allowed to go dormant. In spring, ryegrass must give way as Bermuda returns. The association’s Bermuda transition guide explains that the changeover can temporarily leave turf thin, yellow or uneven.
That seasonal cycle helps explain some color changes, but it is not a complete explanation for large bare areas. By late summer, Bermuda should be the active grass. Persistent bald patches or sharply divided wet and dry zones still warrant inspection for irrigation coverage, pest damage, soil compaction or turf loss.
Higher water costs are only part of the story
The cost of maintaining so much grass is increasing. The 2026 budget says Gilbert’s well-water rate rose 102% in April 2025 and budgets $390,374 for water in 2026.
That gives Power Ranch a strong reason to use water more selectively. However, the records reviewed for this article do not show a community-wide order to stop watering grass. The more likely picture is a combination of localized failures, repair backlogs, seasonal turf stress and a deliberate review of which grass areas should remain in the long term.
How Power Ranch plans to address the problem
The approved budget raises the routine irrigation-repair line from $75,064 to $108,000—an increase of about 44%. It also provides reserve funding for irrigation renovations in addition to the separate gopher-remediation program.
Recent association agendas show that larger infrastructure work is also under consideration. The June board agenda referenced a possible South Pump Station rebuild. The Aug. 24 board agenda lists a “critical” Phase 1 repair to Well 6 for consideration. Because an agenda item is not the same as an approved project, the Well 6 work should be treated as pending until meeting minutes or a later association update confirms the outcome.
The Aug. 12 Landscape Committee agenda also included a fall overseed map and a landscape-maintenance contract request for proposals. Those items suggest the association is working on both immediate coverage decisions and broader service planning.
What residents should expect next
The most realistic path forward is a combination of measures rather than one quick fix: repairing weak irrigation zones, continuing gopher control, rehabilitating turf that has been lost, overseeding selected high-use areas and reducing grass where the water and maintenance cost no longer make sense.
Power Ranch has previously discussed studying areas where grass might be reduced or converted, but the records reviewed for this story do not establish a final, community-wide conversion plan. Residents should therefore expect improvements to happen in phases, with conditions varying by neighborhood and park as individual systems are repaired.
The photos make the problem visible, but they also show why the diagnosis must be local. Some lawns are receiving water and recovering; others are not. Tracking whether brown areas line up with specific irrigation zones—and whether they improve after repairs—will be the clearest measure of progress.
For a contrast in parks, recreation spaces and shared landscaping, explore the Eastmark community guide.
Reporting note: East Valley Explorer reviewed Power Ranch association information, budget documents and meeting agendas available through Aug. 24, 2026. Pending agenda items are described as proposals, not completed work.
