A Few Changes to the Turf Rebate Program. Although our drought situation has improved from last year with the recent rains, California and Coachella Valley can still see a return of drought in our future. To get ahead of future drought situations, the Palm Springs City Council approved $1.15 million in matching funds for Desert Water Agency’s turf conversion program as part of the new city budget. The aim is to save 27 million gallons of water each year by removing grass and replacing it with desert-friendly plants.
Following this decision, the Palm Springs Sustainability Commission has proposed changes to the popular turf conversion rebate program.
If you remember my blog post last year, the City Council approved $250,000 in matching funds for DWA’s turf replacement rebate program. The deal offered a 1:1 match, providing a total of $6 per square foot (with DWA offering $3 per square foot). The projects were limited to a maximum of 5,000 square feet of grass. The funds are for single-family homes, homeowners associations, and DWA’s bill assistance program participants living in designated disadvantaged communities. The funds for single-family homes were quickly allocated within 24 hours, and the funds for homeowners associations were allocated within two weeks. In response to the demand, the City Council authorized an additional $300,000 in January to cover waitlisted projects.
The program was very successful, with 154 projects approved and 55 completed by May, covering around 438,000 square feet of conversions. With all these conversions, they hoped this would amount to about 27 million gallons per year.
What Changed:
The recent changes proposed by the commission involve reducing the matching funds from $3 to $1 per square foot and eliminating the project-size cap. According to Lindsey-Paige McCloy, the Director of Sustainability, this move is expected to fund more projects. Additionally, the requirement to set aside specific funding for single-family homeowners and homeowners associations will be removed, providing more flexibility.
Rebates Not In Effect Yet:
McCloy expressed confidence in the program’s success and expects a significant interest from residents and HOAs in converting their lawns. The commission hopes to restart the rebate program soon but has not specified an exact date. The next step involves presenting the commission’s recommendations to DWA, allowing them time to make the necessary application adjustments.
Start an appication by following this link – https://programs.dwa.org/rebate/grass_removal