Which cities around metro Phoenix are offering money to conserve water at home
Glendale, Gilbert and Surprise are among those who recently expanded their water conservation rebate programs.
GLENDALE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - Natural grass no more: this week the city of Scottsdale decided to ban grass in new homes built or permitted after August 16th
This comes as the city aims to conserve water during our ongoing drought and cuts to the state’s Colorado River water supply. Scottsdale is the first Valley city to make this move, which was no surprise to Sarah Porter, the director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University.
Scottsdale is more dependent on Colorado River water than some of the other cities. And so Scottsdale is going to be taking the lead in some of these steps to reduce overall demand because it’s responding to a perception of potential risk that’s different in Scottsdale than in other cities,” Porter said.
About 70 to 75% of the water delivered to Scottsdale’s taps is from the Colorado River, according to city officials. In Phoenix it’s about 40%. As Scottsdale makes change to it’s grass rules, a number of Valley cities are also expanding their water conservation rebate programs.
Gilbert
Gilbert recently announced a new residential grass rebate program. If you qualify, you can get up to $800 if you convert from grass to low-water use landscape. Leaders there say it can reduce your water use by about 50%, which in turn leads to a lower water bill. Read more here.
Glendale
For first time since the early 2000′s, the city of Glendale is also expanding it’s water conservation rebates beginning on July 1. Glendale residents can get up to $500 for xeriscape installation at a new home or $250 for artificial grass. Existing homeowners can get up to $3,000 in rebates for xeriscape and $250 for artificial grass. Here’s how to apply and qualify.
Surprise
Through May 1, 2024, the city of Surprise is also offering some new incentives. Qualifying homeowners can get a $400 rebate for installing low-water use landscape. This applies to new, single-family homes bought and sold within the past two years of the date of application.
Read about the other options here.
Porter predicts we will continue to see Valley cities offer rebates and incentives to encourage conservation. “Almost all the water that’s used indoors is reclaimed and recycled. But water used outdoors can’t be recovered by the water provider and treated and reused,” she said.
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