| Right now, Santa Barbara County is at about half of its average rainfall for this time of year. The U.S. Drought Monitor shows the county in a moderate to severe drought, depending on the area. Although the word ‘drought’ often induces fear and helplessness, there is actually a lot you can do as an individual to reduce your water consumption by implementing water-wise strategies and programs.
Sustainable Landscaping/Lawn Alternatives:
Sustainable Landscaping is a way of looking at your landscaping as an integral part of the local environment. The typical landscape requires many inputs: time, money, labor, water, chemicals, and fertilizers. Most homeowners would be happy to reduce the amount of time, money, and labor that goes into their yards. The environment also benefits from decreased use of resources such as water, and potentially polluting elements such as chemicals and fertilizers. The concept of sustainable landscaping asks us to examine ways to minimize the impacts of our landscaping. Applying the following principles can save you time and money, and create a beautiful landscape that is environmentally responsible.
If you’re a Carpinteria resident, the Carpinteria Valley Water Districts Water Wise Landscape Rebate Program covers a portion of the cost of pre-approved equipment and materials:
- Irrigation equipment (drip irrigation parts, sprinkler system efficiency retrofits, and rotating sprinkler nozzles)
- Smart irrigation controllers
- Water-wise plants
- Mulch
- Artificial turf
- Permeable surfaces
In addition, 50% of landscape design costs up to $250 can be rebated within the the total rebate amount.
Any combination of design costs, irrigation equipment and planting costs may qualify up to a one-time rebate of $500 for single family homes and up to $1,000 for commercial, multi-family and HOAs.
Projects must be approved in advance. Each site must be pre-qualified for the rebate before old landscaping is removed or changed. Landscapes for new construction are not eligible. To schedule your pre-qualification site visit, before any work is done, please call 684-2816 x116 or email conservation@cvwd.net.
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