The Price is Right: Find Ca$h in Your Lawn!

If the realization that lawns are inefficient isn’t enough for you to move forward on replacing yours, now there’s even more incentive: cash!

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is currently offering an incentive from $1.50-$2 per square foot for residential customers who install “California friendly” plants and other water-conservation features. Commercial customers may receive $1 per square foot.

Grass is water-thirsty and high-maintenance, which is why LADWP is encouraging residents and businesses to remove their lawns. Forty percent of water use in L.A. occurs outdoors.

And, as we prepare for the dry season, James McDaniel, senior assistant general manager of LADWP’s water system, points out:  “We need to find ways to save precious potable water for indoor uses.”

There are some innovative and appealing ways to enhance a landscape with non-vegetative groundcover or paving materials like decomposed granite, pea gravel, rocks, pebbles, mulch and wood chips. A list of landscaping options is available at bewaterwise.org. 

All customers must pre-apply for a rebate and receive LADWP approval before starting the turf replacement. LADWP will also inspect the lawn before and after the project. To get started, visit LADWP.com/CF. 

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