Rebates that "Make Cents"

The pioneers who established the cities in the west, as Pat Mulroy mentions, tried to recreate the east-coast landscape of lush turf grass, but this type of landscaping is not working anymore. Southern Nevada is facing a drought and the current water resources cannot meet the lavish lifestyle of the residents; it is time to change the wasteful habits. Despite the common belief, casino-hotels are not the real water-waster in the city, but outdoor sprinklers that water lawns and golf courses beyond the Strip account for 70% of southern Nevada’s water use.

Since the SNWA warned the business-owners and residents about the water shortage and upcoming drought in the mid-90s, officials have been struggling to find ways to get people to conserve this rapidly declining resource. The hotel-casino owners were first to adopt water conservation programs; many of them have cut off their outdoor irrigation water by converting to smart-landscaping as  part of their conservation plan.

NYTimes.com - Las Vegas' Changing landscape. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv1zd23f-E0

Water-smart (xeriscape) landscape rebate program

The SNWA adopted the Water Smart Landscape Rebate Program in 2000. This program was the result of a 5-year study of water use reduction through converting turf-grass to drought-tolerant landscaping and plants local to the region. 

Through this program, SNWA pays the residents $1.5 for every square foot of lawn they remove and replace with drought-tolerant landscaping up to the first 5,000 square feet converted per property per year. Beyond the 5,000 square feet, the rebate decreases to $1 per square foot. The maximum award for any property in a fiscal year is $300,000 and certain restrictions apply to well-owners. As a condition of this program, people have to sustain their new water-smart landscape for at least 10 years. The only way to convert the landscape back to turf is through a change of ownership after 10 years. Data shows the new owners usually keep the landscape the way it is and rarely convert back to turf-grass.

The concept of xeriscaping was first introduced by the Denver Water Department in 1978.  Xeriscaping is a method of landscaping which helps reduce the supplemental irrigation water through the use of drought tolerant and plants local to the area.This method is now very popular in many Western and Southern cities, such as Las Vegas, Austin, Albuquerque and Atlanta. (Photo courtesy of TreeHugger) http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/5-great-green-ways-us-cities-are-leading-by-example.html

Along with the xeriscape rebate program, the SNWA has adopted other water restrictions to limit further water waste including a mandatory watering schedule for residents and turf limits for different building sectors and new properties. Violation of these restrictions will result in a waste-water fee or termination of water service.

The watering schedule allows people to water their lawn once a week in the winter, every other day in the spring and fall and every day in the summer. Most residents comply with these restrictions. Kim Bavington who has a small, lush piece of grass in the front yard soon has to cut back watering her lawn because of the new restrictions. She says, "I think if you take your sprinkler and time each section, so it's more efficient you can still have a great looking yard."

Other restrictions in force include fountains& water features, golf course water budgets, government facilities, mist systems, parks and community use areas, pools, surface,equipment and building washing and vehicle washing.

Studies show landscape conversion has provided a good opportunity for water conservation in the Las Vegas Valley. According to a study by SNWA, while the residents have applied an annual average of 73gallons/sq ft of water to turf grass, only 17.2 gallons/sq ft is needed for xeric landscape areas which means a 74% decrease in irrigation water. Since the implementation of the rebate program in 2000, over 155 million square feet of turf have been converted to water-smart landscaping, saving the city more than 1.5 billion gallons of water each year.

Water Savings Summary from Water Smart Landscapes Rebate Program. (photo courtesy of Western Resource Advocates)

A study by Western Resource Advocates shows that the water saved by the Water Smart Rebate Program will make up for the conversion rebate cost in a 10-year life span of the landscape. According to SNWA, water-smart landscapes are rarely converted after the conditional 10 year period and the change of ownership. Conversion rebates cost SNWA an average of $575per acre-foot of water saved; however, the study has estimated that SNWA Water Smart Landscape Program is cost-effective because SNWA would net $35.8 million for every 10-million square feet of turf grass converted to drought-tolerant landscaping.