Water Smart Landscapes rebate doubles
To help the community achieve long-range water conservation goals recommended by a citizens’ advisory committee, the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) Board of Directors has approved a one-year increase in its Water Smart Landscapes (WSL) Rebate Program.
Under the revised program, qualified residents currently enrolled in the program or those who enroll through calendar year 2007 will receive $2 per square foot of grass converted, up to 1,500 square feet. The incentive for areas in excess of 1,500 square feet will remain at the current $1 per square foot rate.
“While the community’s overall response to the Water Smart Landscapes Rebate Program has been phenomenal and earned national recognition, we believe that increasing the incentive will spur even greater participation,” said SNWA General Manager Pat Mulroy.
The increased WSL incentive is consistent with on the recommendations of the Integrated Water Advisory Planning Committee (IWPAC), a citizens panel that urged the SNWA to continue its aggressive water conservation efforts. The SNWA Board in April 2006 adopted a series of IWPAC recommendations concerning water conservation and integration of in-state water resources into Southern Nevada’s water planning and management activities.
The SNWA Board last increased the WSL rebate in February 2003, when it approved a hike from the program’s original 40 cents per square foot to $1. That increase generated a large response in 2004, when the community converted more than 34 million square feet of turf.
However, program participation has steadily declined over the past two years, to about 15.3 million square feet in 2005 and 8.3 million square feet in 2006.
Since the WSL program’s inception in 1999, community residents and businesses have converted more than 76 million square feet of turf to water-smart landscaping, saving more than 12.3 billion gallons of water.
The WSL program is just one of several conservation incentive programs the SNWA offers in the community. Other programs offer rebates for pool covers, “smart” irrigation controllers that automatically adjust watering schedules and rain sensors that shut down irrigation systems during and after rainstorms.
The SNWA is a regional entity that manages water conservation, water quality and water resource issues for Southern Nevada. Its members include: the Big Bend Water District (Laughlin); the cities of Boulder City, Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas; the Clark County Sanitation District; and the Las Vegas Valley Water District.
Visit snwa.com for more information.
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