Turf Replacement Rebates To Increase Thanks To $38M Grant

LOS ANGELES, ca — A $38 million state grant awarded this week will be used to increase rebates to businesses and institutions that replace turf with water-efficient landscaping as a deadline looms to phase out turf at commercial, industrial, municipal and institutional properties.

In addition to the rebate program, the money will also be used to help thousands of low- income households install water-efficient irrigation systems.

The rebates for tearing out grass will increase from $2 per square foot go $3 per square foot thanks to a grant from the Department of Water Resources, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California announced. The incentive is designed to get entities ready for the implementation of state legislation that phases out the use of potable water to irrigate grass that is not used for recreation or other purposes at commercial, industrial, municipal and institutional properties.

"As businesses and institutions comply with this new mandate, we hope they will replace their non-functional turf with sustainable landscapes," MWD General Manager Adel Hagekhalil said in a statement. "This partnership will help them in that transformation. The state's foresight and support will enable us all to become more resilient as we face climate whiplash and a future of hotter and drier droughts."

Officials urged people not to let the heavy rains of the last year deter them from preparing for the new law.

"We had a very wet winter, but the time is now to adapt to California's drier future," DWR Director Karla Nemeth said in a statement. "It's the perfect time to transform our yards away from thirsty lawns into drought resilient gardens. Our funding today ensures that communities, regardless of income, can withstand future droughts.

"But we can't just conserve water -- California is doubling down on infrastructure to capture, move, store and recycle water to better prepare for extreme swings between floods and drought. The Delta tunnel, expansion of surface reservoirs and groundwater aquifers, and large-scale recycled water projects are all needed to ensure a strong economy and healthy environment in the face of a changing climate."

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.