As drought concerns increase across the state, your local water district is doing all they can to help community members conserve water throughout their home and within their landscaping. If you live on the Central Coast, find your water district below to discover what rebates and incentives are being offered in your town. Make water management a priority in your landscaping and help conserve this precious resource, while also saving money.

San Lorenzo Valley Water District

If you reside within the San Lorenzo Valley Water District, they offer several free conservation devices including kitchen sink dual swivel aerators, bathroom sink aerators, seven spray water hose nozzles, toilet leak detectors, 1.5 gpm shower heads and even yard signs that boast “Doing our part to save water!”.

In terms of rebates, SLVWD extends a few home and yard incentives. Take note that these replacements will need to be inspected by a staff member and the old unit relinquished to SLVWD. Indoor rebates consist of toilet and washer replacements, while outdoor reimbursements cover irrigation systems.

Greywater Irrigation System

“Receive a rebate of up to $150 per laundry to landscape system and up to $150 per household for a dual plumbed system, when you install a greywater system to irrigate your landscape. The rebate applies to residential buildings only. Greywater systems must meet all applicable state and local requirements to prevent potential health threats and environmental contamination.”

Weather-Based Irrigation Controller

“Purchase and install a weather-based irrigation controller and receive a credit of up to $75 or $125, depending on the type of controller. Weather-based irrigation controllers have clocks that use current weather information to automatically apply the appropriate amount of water to the landscape. They can be installed new or replace an existing controller.”

“There are two types of controllers: (1) Sensor-based controllers use on-site weather or solar sensors to create irrigation schedules (up to a $75 credit). (2) Signal-based controllers rely on daily weather updates received from satellite signals or require an internet connection to receive the information (up to a $125 credit).”

Visit SLVWD’s website for more information on where to sign up for these rebate programs and receive their free water conservation devices.

Santa Cruz Water District

The City of Santa Cruz Water District also offers multiple rebate opportunities for water conservation. This involves toilets, ENERGY STAR ® washer/dryers, (as well as urinals, toilets and washers for small businesses), hot water recirculation systems and potentially an upcoming rain barrel incentive.  Specifically for landscaping, these two refund programs are available:

Laundry-to-Landscape Rebate Program

“Save water. Save your garden. Attend a laundry-to-landscape workshop to learn about graywater system design and installation. The water conservation office offers a $150 rebate for customers who attend a workshop and/or have a laundry-to-landscape system installed by a professional installer that is listed on the Central Coast Greywater Alliance Installer Directory.”

“Graywater is untreated water that drains from your clothes washer, bathtub, shower, or bathroom sink. Graywater has low levels of contaminants, but when handled properly, it can be used for non-potable purposes such as landscape irrigation.”

“Laundry-to-Landscape greywater systems deliver water directly from your clothes washer to sub-surface distribution points in your garden. You can legally install these systems without a permit as long as it conforms to the requirements in Chapter 16A of the California Plumbing Code. In addition, customers who install a Laundry-to-landscape system within the City of Santa Cruz must file an Installation and Maintenance Agreement Form with the City of Santa Cruz Public Works department.”

Lawn Removal Rebate Program

$1.00 per square foot of lawn removed (Up to $1,000 for single family residential customers &

up to $5,000 for multi-family and commercial customers)

Due to recent COVID safety protocols, in-person inspections for lawn removal requirements have been temporarily suspended and a self-administered procedure put in place. Visit SCWD’s Lawn Removal page for detailed instructions on how to adhere for processing requests.

Outside of the pandemic, the program is set up in three steps:

  • Check In: “Lawns must still be in place and be irrigated by an in-ground irrigation system. Before removing ANY lawn, call the Water Conservation Office at 831-420-5230 to set up a pre-approval site visit. We’ll verify your project meets the rebate requirements, take a measurement, and a photo. Lawn that has already been removed is NOT eligible for a rebate.”
  • Dig In: “Once approved, convert your lawn to a low-water use permeable landscape. Qualifying lawn conversions include:
  • Climate appropriate plants that require little or no supplemental irrigation.
  • Permeable hardscape such as pavers, bricks, or flagstone set in sand, gravel, or decomposed granite areas that allows water to pass through and be absorbed on site.
  • If the converted area will use an irrigation system, only low volume drip systems are allowed.
  • All planted areas must have at least a two-inch layer of mulch.”
  • Cash In: “When your project is completed, call us for a final site visit, submit your Lawn Removal Rebate Application and receive a rebate check.”

Visit SCWD’s Water Conservation for the Landscape page for more information on how to sign up for these rebate programs as well as plenty of examples, ideas and resources!

Soquel Creek Water District

Just like its neighboring districts, Soquel Creek Water District grants several rebate options and gives away free devices to aid in saving water. Among these free devices (limited to once per year per district customer household), are automatic shutoff hose nozzles, high-efficiency showerheads, low-flow faucet aerators, toiler flappers, toilet leak detection tablets and water conservation guides.

SCWD offers a generous selection of rebates, most of which can be credited back to your water bill. Indoor home refunds include programs for toilets, showerheads, clothes washers, hot water recirculation, pressure reducing valves and submeters. Outdoor rebates include:

Drip Irrigation Retrofits

“Replace your overhead spray irrigation with low-volume drip (and/or microspray) irrigation and receive up to $20 per every 100 square feet of garden area converted. In addition to receiving a rebate, you’ll save money on your water bill by improving irrigation efficiency and reduce pollution from urban runoff. The maximum drip irrigation retrofit rebate is $1,000 per fiscal year (July 1 to June 30) for single-family residential customers; and $10,000 per fiscal year for commercial and multi-family residential customers”

Graywater to Landscape

“Receive a rebate of $400 per laundry to landscape system and up to $1,000 per household for a dual plumbed shower/bath and bathroom sink to landscape system, when you install a graywater system to irrigate your landscape. The rebate applies to single or two-unit residential buildings only. Graywater systems must meet all applicable state and local requirements to prevent potential health threats and environmental contamination. Please refer to the Graywater System Regulatory Requirements regarding state and local graywater system requirements”

Clothes washing machine to landscape or “Laundry to Landscape” (doesn’t need a building permit)

Bathtub and/or shower to landscape (requires a building permit)

Bathroom sink to landscape (requires a building permit)

Pool Covers

“Pool covers can significantly reduce water loss due to evaporation, reducing the amount of make-up water you need to add to your pool. Additionally, pool covers can reduce chemical costs and the amount of time and/or money spent on cleaning the pool. If you have a heated pool, a well-fitting cover is essential to retain heat, minimize evaporation and lower your energy costs. When you purchase and install a pool cover, receive up to a $75 rebate, or 50% of the purchase price of a pool cover, whichever is less.”

Rain Catchment

$25 per barrel (for barrels with a storage capacity of 50 to 100 gallons) or $25 per 100 gallons of storage capacity (for tanks/cisterns with a storage capacity of 100 to 3,000 gallons). The rebate amount cannot exceed the purchase price of the rain catchment system. Sales tax and labor are not included.”

“Collect rainwater from your roof and use it to irrigate your landscape. In addition to saving water, rain catchment systems help prevent stormwater runoff and pollution and help to recharge groundwater. Our rain catchment rebates provide flexibility as there are many different types and sizes of rain catchment systems including single or multiple rain barrels, large tanks, and below-ground cisterns.”

Rain Sensors

“Up to $25 for a rain sensor that can be adjusted to detect 1/8-inch of rainfall. The rebate amount cannot exceed the purchase price of the rain sensor. Sales tax and labor are not included.

Help prevent water waste and improve the health of your landscape by retrofitting your existing irrigation system controller with a rain sensor. The district offers a rebate of up to $25 when you connect a rain sensor to your existing irrigation system controller. A rain sensor is a small device that detects the presence of a set amount of rainfall (e.g., 1/8-inch, 1/4-inch, etc.) and automatically stops the operation of the irrigation system to prevent watering in the rain. To qualify for the rebate, the rain sensor must be set to shut off the irrigation system when it detects 1/8-inch or more precipitation.”

Rainwater Downspout Redirect

“Up to $40 per downspout when redirected to an on-site landscape feature (e.g., rain garden, swale, dry well, etc.) for a maximum of two downspouts. The rebate amount cannot exceed the purchase price of the materials (e.g., downspout diverters, piping, etc.) needed to redirect the runoff. Sales tax and labor are not included.

Redirecting and slowing the flow of rainwater that runs off of your roof to the street can prevent damage to your home and foundation, provide water to your plants, promote infiltration and groundwater recharge, and help minimize erosion, runoff and stormwater pollution. The concept behind this rebate is to “Slow it, spread it, sink it!” “

Turf Replacement

“Replace existing high-water use turf with low-water-use grasses and/or low-water-use plants and receive up to $2 per square foot of turf replaced. In addition to receiving a rebate, you will save money on water and landscape maintenance. The maximum turf replacement rebates from Soquel Creek Water District are $2,000 per fiscal year (July 1 to June 30) for single-family residential customers and $10,000 per fiscal year for commercial and multi-family residential customers.”

“When you replace turf with low-water-use grasses and/or plants, you can save about 17 gallons of water per year per square foot of turf replaced. That is 8,500 gallons per year for a 500 square-foot turf replacement project!”

Weather-Based Irrigation Controllers
Sensor-type irrigation controllers – $75
Signal-type irrigation controllers – $125

“Install a weather-based irrigation controller that automatically adjusts the irrigation schedule based on daily weather changes and save water and money in the process. Larger sites (e.g., parks, homeowners’ associations, businesses, etc.) may qualify for a rebate of $600 per irrigated acre.”

“Weather-based irrigation controllers, also known as smart irrigation controllers, use current weather information to create appropriate irrigation schedules that adjust as the weather changes. They are most cost-effective for medium-size or larger landscapes; however, they can be used for any landscape. They are especially useful for vacation homes or homeowners that cannot or do not want to manually adjust their irrigation systems on a regular basis.”

To request a device, sign up for a rebate program, get more information, or even schedule a free water wise consultation, visit Soquel Creek Water District’s Conservation site today!