Residential water customers can receive cash rebates for saving water with a new Solano County Water Agency rebate program.
The program offers a cash rebate for replacing thirsty turf-grass with low-water-use plants, permeable hard-scape or artificial turf products. This new rebate program encourages residents to use water wisely, which can help the environment and save money by lowering water bills.
The Turf Replacement Rebate Program offers residents a $0.50/sq. foot rebate, for a total rebate of up to $1,000.
The Turf Replacement Rebate consists of a pre-inspection and a post-inspection during which SCWA staff must verify that the existing area is a watered lawn. Applications and complete program guidelines will be available soon at www.conservationrebates.com, along with other SCWA rebates including High-Efficiency Toilets.
More details can be found at www.solanosaveswater.org, as well as other water conservation tips and information about SCWA’s free water surveys. Visit the “Water Wise Gardening” link to find landscaping and gardening ideas for the Turf Replacement Rebate Program.
For information about free water surveys, residents may call 428-7630.
Also, as of July 1, SCWA brought back its popular High-Efficiency Washing Machine (HEW) Rebate Program. For a limited time only, residents who purchase a qualifying model HEW can receive a $125 rebate.
Funding for the rebate programs is limited and applications will only be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Rebate programs will end when current funds are depleted.
California American Water and the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District Offer Rebates to Help Save Water
PACIFIC GROVE, Calif., June 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — As warmer weather and longer and drier days set in, California American Water and the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District are asking area water users to be particularly mindful of their water consumption – especially outdoors.
“Water consumption on the Monterey Peninsula generally reaches its peak in July or August,” said California American Water General Manager Craig E. Anthony. “But, this is the time of year it typically starts to increase dramatically. We’ve recently seen water use jump by approximately 1.6 million gallons per day. Most of this is residential and is clearly the result of warmer summer weather. On nice days folks tend to go outdoors and work in their yards, which often includes watering plants and grass.”
Under California American Water’s rate structure, residential and commercial water users who use more than a modest amount of water for basic indoor and very limited outdoor needs pay higher prices. This system has long been in place on the Monterey Peninsula, and has been largely responsible for lowering residential per capita water consumption to just 70 gallons per person per day, one of the lowest levels in California. Nevertheless, recent tightening of state imposed water restrictions have led to a doubling of penalties for water wasters.
“We’re under orders from the state to decrease pumping from the Carmel River,” Anthony said. “The new rates are designed to help us do that and although they went into effect in February, we expect this month – the beginning of irrigation season - will be the first time our bigger users really start to notice a significant difference on their monthly bills.”
California American Water and the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District urge customers who do a lot of outdoor watering to consider alternative irrigation and landscaping practices, and they provide incentives to help.
This year, California American Water and the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District began offering a rebate for lawn removal and for synthetic turf installation. Water customers that replace lawn with low water use plants or permeable surfaces can receive $1.25 per square-foot, up to 2,000 square feet. Applicants must provide a site-plan of current and planned landscaping and arrange for a before and after inspection by the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District.
Customers interested in synthetic turf installation can qualify for rebates of $2.00 per square-foot, up to 2,000 square-feet.
“The program has been incredibly popular so far,” said Monterey Peninsula Water Management District General Manager Darby Fuerst. “Our agency has been working with California American Water to educate the public about our local water restrictions and the need to conserve. We’re glad to see people thinking ahead to the impacts excessive outdoor water use can have on the environment and their water bills. An investment today in low-water landscape or rainwater harvesting, can really pay off in the long-run.”
Rebates are also offered for installation of cistern tanks. California American Water and the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District will pay qualifying water users $25 for every 100 gallons of rainwater storage, up to a maximum of 3,000 gallons per site.
For more information about rebates to remove turf and install synthetic turf or cistern tanks, or rebates for water-saving appliances, such as dishwashers, washing machines and toilets, contact the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District conservation department at (831) 658-5601 or visit www.montereywaterinfo.org.
California American Water, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), provides high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 600,000 people.
Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest investor-owned U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs more than 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide drinking water, wastewater and other related services to approximately 16 million people in 35 states, as well as Ontario and Manitoba, Canada. More information can be found by visiting www.amwater.com.
SOURCE California American Water
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Posted on April 4th, 2010 by Luis Vasquez in Featured, News
The Long Beach Water Department will pay you to remove your lawn! Beginning April 7th, residents can apply for a rebate of $2.50 per square foot up to a maximum of $2,500 for replacing their lawn with drought tolerant plants. Funds are limited and applications will be taken on a first come first served basis. ABC 7 did a report on the new program known as “The Beautiful Long Beach Lawn to Garden Incentive Program“.
Things You Should Know:
* Only the property owner is eligible to apply for the program
* Both residents and local business are eligible as long as they are LBWD customers
* Only the front yard and parkway are eligible; the side and back yard are excluded from the program
* Must submit a simple hand drawn plan and attend an on-line landscape class within 45 days of application approval
* After renovation the new landscape must be maintained and not altered significantly from the original design
* LBWD has $250,000 on hand for the program; approximately 100 residents will receive the full rebate of $2,500
* Your new landscape cannot contain any turf grass, or artificial or synthetic turf
* Your new landscape must be 100% covered with materials such as plants, compost and mulch, and permeable “hardscape
* Plant material must cover at least 65% of the new landscaped area by the time the plants are mature, or after approximately two years
Most importantly (at least from our perspective), the irrigation system, if there is one, MUST be water efficient. Examples of water-efficient irrigation systems include:
* Drip irrigation
* Bubblers for shrubs and trees
* Rotating sprinklers rated at emitting less than one gallon of water per minute
* Pressure regulators, allowing no more pressure than recommended by the manufacturer of the drip system (usually about 10 to 15 psi) or the rotating sprinklers (usually about 35 psi)
* Separate valves for each part of the landscape (known as ‘hydrozones’) that needs a different watering schedule
For more information on the “The Beautiful Long Beach Lawn to Garden Incentive Program” visit their website here lblawntogarden.com. Also view the LBWD’s March 30th press release here Long Beach Water Department Unveils Citywide Landscape Rebate Program.
Corona is offering residents rebates to turn water-hogging grass into water-friendly landscape.
The city Department of Water and Power is offering $1 rebates per square foot of turf removed and water-friendly landscaping installed on residential property. Rebates also are available for installing synthetic turf.
The water conservation program must be carried out under specific Residential Parkway Landscape Conversion Guidelines.
Applications are required for the refund and can be found on StopTheDrop@discovercorona.com or by calling the city’s Water Resources Group at 951-736-2234.
Funding for the program is limited.
–Leslie Parrilla
Assembly bill would allow artificial grass
By Michael Gardner, U-T SACRAMENTO BUREAU
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 12:04 a.m.
SACRAMENTO — Rocky Wilson figures that just by landscaping his small front yard with artificial turf, he could save enough water annually to take a five-minute shower daily for about six years.
If only his homeowners association would let him.
Wilson has been working with the governing board of La Costa Greens, a master-planned community of single-family residences in Carlsbad, for nearly two years to secure permission amid steep water shortages and rationing across California.
“Why waste water?” he asked. “I was born and raised here. There’s always been drought.”
Wilson’s case isn’t isolated, according to state water officials and water districts in San Diego County.
They said that many HOAs have moved aggressively to reduce water consumption partly by planting drought-resistant vegetation or watering their lawns less often, but that some resist such changes because they want to preserve a certain look for their community’s landscaping. The opposition can come from an HOA board or certain residents in a complex.
“I’ve got some ratepayers fighting their homeowners associations over the right to put in low-water-use plants or artificial turf,” said Keith Lewinger, general manager of the Fallbrook Public Utility District.
Hoping to create a more uniform policy, water managers took their case to Sacramento. Assemblywoman Lori Saldaña, D-San Diego, took up the cause.
“They need direction when we’re dealing with record drought,” Saldaña said in introducing Assembly Bill 1793.
Saldaña’s measure would require homeowners associations to allow installation of artificial turf. But in a nod to concerns about quality, the legislation permits those associations to establish design and quality standards for fake grass.
Although artificial turf is gaining more public acceptance as manufacturers make better-looking and longer-lasting versions, some HOA boards continue to have misgivings about the turf’s appearance and durability.
There are about 6,000 homeowners associations in San Diego County and 43,350 statewide, from condos to single-family developments, according to 2007 data compiled by Community Associations.
At Villa Portofino in Tierrasanta, Muriel Vasconcellos is less than enthusiastic about the prospect of her HOA having to accept artificial grass, partly because she’s worried about potentially dangerous chemicals that have been found in some varieties.
Vasconcellos, a member of her association’s landscaping committee, said local rules don’t expressly prohibit artificial turf, but she doesn’t get the sense that many neighbors support it.
“People around here enjoy our area for its natural beauty,” she said.
So she’s helping to replace her neighborhood’s grassy areas with drought-tolerant plants. “I like a natural solution,” Vasconcellos said.
Saldaña believes installing artificial grass will benefit HOAs by lowering water bills and maintenance costs. She lives in a rental complex that encourages use of artificial grass.
“It’s very attractive,” Saldaña said. “It obviously conserves water and can be maintained.”
Assemblyman Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, has endorsed Saldaña’s bill. Last year, he got the Legislature to pass legislation meant to push HOAs to allow more drought-resistant landscaping.
“We are still in a drought,” Lieu said. “We have to change our ways.”
The San Diego County Water Authority, noting that outdoor uses make up about 60 percent of household water consumption, is promoting artificial turf as an important way to battle drought.
“What we’ve been hearing for a number of months is that many HOAs were either prohibiting or limiting the use of artificial turf,” said William Rose, head of the authority’s conservation program.
His agency estimates that about 112 gallons of water would be saved each day if a coastal homeowner installed artificial grass in a 1,000-square-foot yard. That’s roughly 41,000 gallons a year.
The savings would be even greater in warmer inland communities: approximately 156 gallons a day, or about 57,000 gallons annually.
Wilson, a consultant for the Fastrucking shipping service in San Diego, estimates that he could use 30,000 fewer gallons a year by not watering his 300-square-foot front yard.
That’s enough for doing 1,200 loads of laundry with a newer, high-efficiency washing machine, or for flushing a low-flow toilet 18,750 times, according to the county water authority.
Wilson hopes the La Costa Greens board will approve his application and then clear the way for more of his neighbors to put in artificial grass. The savings could be 3 million gallons of water a year if 1,000 La Costa Greens residents converted, he said.
“It’s not for everybody, but the option should be there for those who want to,” Wilson said.
Staff writer Mike Lee contributed to this report.
BY GERALD CARROLL • gcarroll@visalia.gannett.com • February 2, 2010
Visalia city officials hope a whopping 60 percent increase in water rates over the next three years — plus intensive water-conservation efforts — will slow a decades-long drain on the city’s groundwater supply.
But there’s no guarantee that California Water Service Co., which provides all of Visalia’s drinking water, will be able to raise rates that high, Visalia City Council members were told at a Monday work session.
“It all depends on what the state will allow us to charge,” said Mike Markarian, Visalia superintendent for Cal Water.
In the past, he said, the California Public Utilities Commission has allowed only a fraction of Cal Water rate-increase requests. Cal Water should learn later this year what it will be allowed to charge Visalia water customers.
As for conservation, most measures adopted by the city — including an extensive water-conservation ordinance adopted in 1989 — have simply failed, experts say. Thousands of unmetered Visalia water customers are charged a flat rate, with meter installation not due to be completed until 2012 at the earliest.
The use of water for landscaping is the main culprit for Visalia’s overdraftproblems, said Kim Loeb, Visalia’s natural resource conservation manager. Conversion of thirsty fescue lawns to rocky landscapes would help, Loeb said, and indoor water use could be curbed as well.
Toilets, which can use as much as 6 gallons per flush, use up 33 percent of Visalia’s water supply, Loeb said.
But replacing toilets in older homes with more efficient units has been a slow process, he said.
“This is a critical issue, but a sleeper,” Visalia City Councilman Mike Lane said. “This is a desert climate, with only 10 inches of rain per year. [It's] arid.”
Mayor Bob Link said schools’ water use has gone largely unmoni-tored. Federal stimulus funding will be directed at water conservation in the Visalia Unified School District, which will announce the amount involved at joint session of the council and district board at 6 p.m. today.
Loeb said Visalia officials might think of adopting policies that have worked in other dry areas. These include:
Weather-based irrigation. Much of the watering at Visalia parks is closely monitored by computer-based systems.
Incentives for use of rotating sprinkler nozzles, which can be used indoors or outdoors.
Landscape-irrigation audits.
“Cash for grass” incentives to replace natural turf with artificial surfaces.
Pool-cover incentives.
“Building green needs to include water conservation,” Loeb said.
Upgrade some or all of your lawn to a Water Smart Landscape. After you upgrade, you can qualify for a cash rebate for every square foot of lawn converted to water-smart landscaping. Make sure you check with an ArtificialTurfSupply.com specialist or your local water department for details.
Remember, every square foot of natural grass replaced with artificial grass, water-smart trees, shrubs and flowers saves an average of 55 gallons of water per year, so you’ll also save money on your monthly water bill. Go green today!
Throughout 2010, there will be continued and increasing emphasis on the need for water conservation as imported water supplies remain at least 12 percent lower for SCWD due to continued, severe water shortages throughout the State caused by years of drought and regulatory restrictions on the transfers of water. Promotion will increase for Water-Saver Rebate Programs that encourage removal of grass turf and replacement with California-friendly plants or synthetic turf.
By ERIC WOLFF - ewolff@nctimes.com | Posted: Thursday, December 31, 2009 1:20 pm
A water conservation rebate program aimed at businesses is out of money early, but there’s plenty left for homeowners, the San Diego County Water Authority announced Wednesday.
The $4.6 million commercial program, which was run by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, allowed businesses to get money back after purchasing water-efficient equipment and appliances. The program was so popular that it ran out of money on Dec. 26, six months before the end of the fiscal year.
The $6 million residential program allows homeowners to get rebates on everything from cooling towers to drought-friendly toilets, but it’s barely been tapped —- the program still has $5.4 million left to distribute before June 30.
“The commercial program is a little more organized. A lot of plumbing contractors took advantage of it,” said Bill Rose, Water Conservation Program Executive for the San Diego County Water Authority.
Some local water providers are offering their own incentives to pick up where Metropolitan left off, including the Western Municipal Water District (which serves Southwest Riverside County), Escondido, Oceanside, Poway, and the Valley Center Municipal Water District, but Rose said that before businesses make a purchase, they should check Met’s conservation Web site, socalwatersmart.com, to make sure a given product is eligible for a rebate.
Western has been matching Met’s rebate on synthetic turf and high-efficiency and waterless urinals. It has budgeted $100,000 for 500 urinals and $65,000 for 5 acres of synthetic turf.
Residential customers looking to get rebates should visit 20gallonchallenge.com or socalwatersmart.com to find out what products they can get money back on, and exactly how to go about getting their money.
Metropolitan’s conservation division has been ordered to stay on budget this year, after it spent $54 million in the 2008-09 fiscal year, well more than the $20 million allocation.
“The board was quite direct they would not exceed $19.1 million,” Rose said. Much of that money goes to other programs and administrative costs.
But $19.1 million is a tiny sliver of Metro’s $1.65 billion two-year budget.
“Conservation is a very inexpensive way to offset demand,” said Tim Barr, Water Efficiency Manager for Western. “I’d like to see more money used to water conservation measures.”
Call staff writer Eric Wolff at 760-740-5412.
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The Press-Enterprise
Western Municipal Water District in Riverside is dedicating almost $500,000 to a rebate program to boost conservation and reduce water use by 5 percent over five years.
The incentives are available to residential and commercial customers in the district’s service area, which includes parts of Riverside, Jurupa, Norco, Corona, Lake Elsinore, Murrieta and Temecula.
“With this funding we’re going to hit our targets and then some,” said Tim Barr, Western’s water use efficiency manager.
The money will be added to rebates offered by Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the wholesaler for most Inland agencies.
Metropolitan’s regional program, known as SoCal Water$mart, was temporarily halted this spring because demand was so overwhelming that funding was exhausted. A scaled-back version of the program was reintroduced last month, with most rebates halved to stretch available funding. That program ends May 31, or when money runs out.
Eastern Municipal Water District, which serves areas from Moreno Valley to Temecula
, has set aside $400,000 to augment Metropolitan’s residential and commercial rebates for high-efficiency toilets and washers, rotating nozzles and “smart” irrigation controllers. Riverside Public Utilities has set aside $295,000 to add to Metropolitan’s and Western’s rebates for those water-saving devices.
Western’s efforts are specifically targeted to get the most bang for the buck, Barr said.
The incentives for residential customers served directly by Western are: $150 each for high-efficiency toilets or clothes washers, which is added to Metropolitan’s $50 rebate; $120 for weather-based irrigation controllers, in addition to Metropolitan’s $80 rebate; and 30 cents per square foot for synthetic turf.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring psp Western also is offering free landscape evaluations, including a look at irrigation programming, mulch and whether areas can be converted to drip irrigation. If applicable, homeowners who get an evaluation will receive up to 20 free, high-efficiency sprinkler nozzles, worth $4 each retail, and installation.
Residential customers not served directly by Western — customers of districts that receive wholesale water from the agency — are eligible for rebates of $50 each for high-efficiency toilets and washers, $40 for each smart controller and 30 cents per square foot for artificial turf. Carlitos Way psp
Western also is offering commercial, industrial and institutional rebates of $200 for high-efficiency urinals and matching Metropolitan’s rebate of 30 cents per square foot for synthetic grass.
The $463,884 program is expected to save almost 300 billion gallons of water, the equivalent of indoor water used by 3,342 families of four for a year, Barr said. That is about one-fifth of the district’s target goal over five years.
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Western also will begin surveying customers next month to determine how many still have nonconserving toilets, he said.
Reach Janet Zimmerman at 951- 368-9586 or jzimmerman@PE.com
Information on rebates
SoCal Water$mart, www.socalwatersmart.com
; 888-376-3314
Western Municipal Water District, www.wmwd.com; 951-789-5000
Eastern Municipal Water District, www.emwd.org; 951-928-3777