

An example of a drought tolerant landscape. (Photo via LADWP on Facebook)

Mayor Eric Garcetti and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power are raising the turf rebate from $1.75 to $2 per square foot in an effort to encourage Angelenos replace turf with sustainable landscaping. The raised rebate will be available until December 31. Applications for the rebate are available on the SoCal Water $mart website.

The rebate is a part of LADWP's California Friendly® Landscape Incentive Program, which incentivizes residents to replace water-wasting lawns with landscapes that include plants native to Los Angeles, groundcover like mulch to help retain moisture in the soil, and a rain capturing element. LADWP General Manager David H. Wright said in a statement that, “[s]ince 2009, Angelenos have removed nearly 50 million square feet of grass, yielding about 2 billion gallons in annual water savings.” The goal of this rebate extension is to continue the trend of removing grass and turn sustainable landscaping into the "new normal," according the the Mayor's office.

The program is a component of Mayor Garcetti's Save the Drop initiative, which offers incentives and rebates for making residential homes more sustainable. Besides offering a rebate for removing turf, the program offers rebates on water efficient toilets and gives out free low-flow shower heads to LADWP customers.

Despite the heavy rainfall this past year, Mayor Garcetti still hopes to encourage lasting conservation efforts in Los Angeles. "Now, it’s time to double down by removing thirsty grass from our yards, and finding new ways to Save the Drop," he said in a statement.

Angelenos successfully cut their water usage by 20%, which was Mayor Garcetti's initial goal. He now hopes efforts like the rebate program will contribute to the Sustainable City pLAn, which is the city's primary roadmap for implementing sustainable environmental, transportation, housing, and economic policies.