The Sonoma program that awards rebates for the removal of residential and commercial lawns, Cash for Grass, is getting even greener. The city council has approved an additional $40,000 to continue the successful water conservation effort through June 2010.
“We’ve got a good thing going,” said Councilor August Sebastiani.
The program helped the city lower its water purchases by 26 percent between June and October, said Public Works Director Melinka Bates.
City staff took over the Cash for Grass program in June. Since then, nearly 84,000 square feet has been removed, and another nearly 100,000 square feet is pending or planned.
The program offers a monetary incentive to remove lawn in favor of drought resistant plants.
Homeowners are paid 75 cents per square foot of lawn removed, to a maximum of $1,000. The rate is the same for commercial properties, with a maximum of $3,000.
“We went through $25,000 in the first two months,” said Bates. “People really got the message.”
Landscaping is the number one use of water. Removing a lawn can reduce a residential water bill by up to 70 percent, said Water Conservation Coordinator Kathy Toohey.
Bates’ recommendation to add another $40,000 into the program was unanimously approved by the city council. It will be drawn from the city’s water enterprise fund, not the general fund. The money will fund existing commitments, and leave $10,000 for new applicants through the end of the fiscal year in June.
Bates had proposed lowering the rebate prices and limits, to make more money available to allow more residents and business owners to participate inn the program. Not wanting to tinker with a successful program, the city council voted to leave the incentive levels unchanged.
In her update on water conservation, Bates said the impressive reduction in total water use “was a lot for a city … with tourist-related businesses, parks and municipal buildings” to maintain.
The big difference this year was, she said, “We took ownership of the water conservation program. We got into it, and we got results.” Tactics included outreach to the top 100 water users, home audits, handing out 100 “oops” tags to water wasters, rebates and replacement programs, leak notices, and generally raising public awareness.
Looking forward, the city will look at finding and fixing leaks in water pipes, and investigate reports of water theft from hydrants. On a larger scale, Bates reported, “Staff is researching opportunities for rebate incentives for rain water harvesting and other innovative incentive programs that may benefit our residents and water conservation goals.”
