As a landscape installation business or a lawn maintenance business, you will probably find the Cash-For-Grass Program in Los Angeles interesting. I came across this program in this article by the American Society of Landscape Architects. It quoted another article in the Los Angeles Times that stated the following:

As if broken sprinklers, polluting mowers or the simple desire to conserve water weren’t enough, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is giving its customers more motivation to let go of their lawns. Single-family homes can get a rebate of up to $2,000, assuming you meet criteria for the Residential Drought Resistant Landscape Incentive Program.

Fast on the heels of the new watering ordinances that took effect June 1, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has begun a cash-for-grass program. Single-family homes served by the DWP will be eligible to receive $1 for every square foot of turf that they replace with less thirsty alternatives.

For years Southern California water managers paid scant attention to outdoor water conservation. Then they saw stunning savings achieved in Nevada. According to the Southern Nevada Water Authority, in the last decade, Las Vegas has removed more than 125 million square feet of grass, saving 7 billion gallons of water a year. That’s almost one-tenth of Southern Nevada’s annual water supply.

The rebate program requires that you have a plan for the successor landscape. Acceptable turf substitutes include drought-tolerant plants, mulch and permeable ground cover.

Whatever successor landscape you choose, the intent of the cash-for-grass program is to reduce the 50 to 90 inches of water routinely applied to turf every year. Drought-tolerant substitutes may require just 15 — in keeping with L.A.’s average annual rainfall.

For information on the L.A. Department of Water and Power program, call the regional water agency rebate hotline at (888) 376-3314. The recording will say funding for regionwide programs is exhausted, but keep listening. DWP customers can press 3 for more details on their rebate.

It is an interesting situation and is somewhat similar to Florida’s push for more native landscapes.

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