Significant changes are on the horizon for the Southern Nevada Water Authority‘s (SNWA) program that provides cash incentives for converting thirsty non-functional grass to drought-friendly landscaping.
Starting Jan. 1, 2025, the SNWA’s rebate for non-functional grass conversion projects for businesses, HOAs and multifamily properties will be reduced to $2 per square foot for the first 10,000 square feet of grass converted to drip-irrigated trees and plants and $1 per square foot after that.
Businesses, HOAs and multifamily properties can still take advantage of the current rebate of $3 per square foot for the first 10,000 square feet of converted turf and $1.50 per square foot after that for projects completed by the end of the year, so those property owners are encouraged to act before the rebate changes take effect.
These changes come as a state-mandated deadline to remove non-functional grass in the driest city in the nation draws nearer. In 2021, the Nevada Legislature passed a law prohibiting the use of Colorado River water to irrigate non-functional, decorative turf. This includes the decorative grass found along roadways and medians, in front of and around businesses and some of the grass managed by homeowner associations starting Jan. 1, 2027.
For Southern Nevada, grass irrigation remains the largest consumptive use of water from the Colorado River, which provides 90 percent of our water supplies. Despite last year’s great winter, the river remains in a federally declared shortage condition that reduces Nevada’s maximum allocation for the third consecutive year.
Businesses, HOAs and other non-single-family properties across the valley have already taken a major step towards compliance with the law by converting more than 10 million square feet of turf to drought-friendly landscaping in just the last two years alone.
There’s still plenty of grass that needs upgrading before the law goes into effect and increased demand for the program may drive up costs for plant materials and landscape installation services as the deadline to comply with the law nears.
To maintain aesthetics and plant diversity, the converted landscaping must include at least 50 percent living plant cover at maturity to qualify for the rebate. Reaching that benchmark is even easier these days thanks to an additional SNWA rebate aimed at bolstering the valley’s climate-stressed tree canopy.
As part of the SNWA’s Water Smart Landscape Rebate program, property owners can receive $100 for every new qualifying tree planted during a grass conversion project. The SNWA approved $10 million in funding for the tree rebate program to support the planting of up to 100,000 new trees across the valley.
Once fully implemented, the conservation law will help Southern Nevada save 9.5 billion gallons of water annually. Additional information about both Nevada law and the SNWA’s Water Smart Landscapes rebate program is available at snwa.com.