Terraforming Earth

I wonder how much water it takes to keep my neighborhood green to the HOA spec. Seriously, we live in Colorado, and just so you know, only a few places near Cheyenne Mountain actually look anything like the in town shots from SG1. No, Colorado is a dry, dry place. It's very windy and the humidity is low. The end result is an environment hostile to most plant life, especially lawns.
So I live in a subdivision with an HOA. They like us all to have lush, green lawns so passers by will think, whoa, that's a nice place. I wish I lived there. The HOA also runs the water company. In that capacity, they tell us to conserve water and not to water every day... for crying out loud, which is it? I'm getting ready for some xeriscaping... but most native plants are not allowed. Where are these HOA types from, anyway?
At very least, I've learned that HOA's are bad. In a few years, the Air Force will move me to other projects and I'll never live under an HOA again.
In the mean time, I think it's time to take a hard look at where we all live and landscape accordingly. A lush lawn is not something that belongs in the American west, for example. This is not Virginia.