Summary. Project need. Project objectives. Project description. Project components

Transcription

1 Summary Desert Water Agency (DWA) will implement a Turf Buy Back Program to incentivize the removal of highwater consuming turf grass and replace it with desert-friendly, water-efficient landscaping. The program will be available to DWA customers. There will be a residential component for single family homes. A commercial component includes for-profit and non-profit businesses and multi-family housing. A public properties component includes all municipal properties and those considered public, such as parks, medians, government buildings, schools and the like. The intent is to replace turf with attractive desert landscaping and reduce water consumption and water runoff as well as increase education about water conservation and desert friendly landscaping. Rebates will be given on a per project basis with project preferences being considered as a condition for funding. This program is not retroactive. Rebates are only applicable to projects that occur after the Turf Buy Back is approved by the Desert Water Agency Board of Directors. Project need DWA relies on groundwater and surface water sources to supply potable water to customers within the service area. Groundwater is replenished with State Water Project sources. The Coachella Valley is in a state of overdraft, meaning more water is being pumped from the groundwater basin than can be replenished. By reducing the need for irrigation water used on turf, DWA will help decrease groundwater pumping, thus preserving needed groundwater supplies. Project objectives The objectives of this program include: Reducing water use through financial incentive to remove water-consuming turf and replace it with water-efficient landscaping. Reducing green waste production through financial incentive to remove water-consuming turf and replace it with water-efficient landscaping. Reduce urban water runoff by minimizing over watering of turf grass that runs onto hardscapes Increasing conservation and water efficiency awareness through a visible and sustainable conservation program Project description Project components The Turf Buy Back Program will have three components: a residential for single family homes, a commercial for businesses and multi-family housing and public property component for municipal and

2 public properties. categorical criteria. Any customer may submit their project (described below) according to the Project Definition For single family homes, a project is defined as a yard (i.e. front yard, side yard). For commercial or public property customers, a project is defined as an area separated from other landscape area by hardscape. For instance, two turf areas divided by an entryway would be considered two projects. Project preferences Projects that meet the project preferences (below) will be given preferential treatment. If a project does not meet the project preferences, it may not qualify. The purpose of the project preferences is to ensure that the projects that are funded with the limited program budget are the best choices for use of the funds. A project that engages the community and resolves an irrigation problem is thus considered more valuable than a project that is hidden from public view. Visibility to the public Community engagement Homeowner support Difficultly with existing turf and/or irrigation Hazards created by existing turf and/or irrigation Residential The residential program is for single family homes only. Only yards that are visible from the street are eligible. Homeowners are eligible to submit one project per year. Homeowners will receive a $2 per square foot rebate for each square foot of turf removed, with a cap of $3,000. The program requires a minimum 25% funding match by the property owner. Participation is contingent on eligibility criteria, a pre-conversion inspection, a post-conversion inspection and correct submission of required materials. Commercial For-profit and non-profit businesses and multi-family housing properties may participate in the commercial component of the program. Commercial properties projects will be heavily weighed against the project preferences listed above. The customers can submit multiple projects per year. Property owners will receive a $2 rebate for each square foot of turf removed, with a cap of $10,000. The program requires a minimum 25% funding match by the property owner. Participation is contingent on eligibility criteria, project preferences, a pre-conversion inspection, a post- conversion inspection and correct submission of required materials. Public Property Public and municipal properties will be considered on a case-by-case basis and heavily weighed against the project preferences listed above. All municipal applications will be reviewed by the PI/Conservation Sub-committee of the Board of Directors for recommendation to the Board of Directors. The program requires a minimum 25% funding match by the property owner. Participation is contingent on eligibility criteria, a pre-conversion inspection, a post- conversion inspection and correct submission of required materials.

3 Terms and Conditions The following constitute conditions of DWA s Turf Buy Back Program for all categories: 1. Participant will fund a minimum of 25% of the project cost. If project costs do not achieve the funding match of 25% at the rate of $2 rebate for each square foot of turf removed, the 25% funding match criteria will prevail. There is a cap of $3,000 for residential and $10,000 for commercial projects. 2. Participant must be present for the pre-inspection (presence not required for post-inspection site visits. If owner is not present, owner must mail receipts to DWA.) 3. Participant must provide itemized sales receipts and invoices at the post-inspection visit or mail them to DWA. 4. The participant agrees to leave the water efficient landscape in place according to their contract with DWA. 5. The participant will reimburse DWA if the desert-friendly landscaping is removed. 6. Funding for the program is limited. Funds will be distributed on a project preferences basis until funds are exhausted. DWA has currently budgeted $250,000 annually to this program. 7. Participant agrees to allow DWA or a representative of the Agency to inspect the property at a mutually agreed upon time within the first year of use if the Agency deems an inspection necessary for any reason. 8. Regular maintenance and additional (subsequent) landscaping are the responsibility of the participant. 9. Participant allows DWA to contact them for research purposes regarding the landscaping. 10. Participant agrees to allow DWA to track their water use for research purposes. No property owner s name shall be released in association with water use information. 11. Project site photos may be used by DWA to illustrate transitions to water-efficient landscaping. Address or property owner information will not be shared. 12. All participants must comply with state and local landscape ordinances. 13. This program is subject to change without prior notification. 14. DWA is not responsible for individual/onsite environmental compliance/mitigation/ enhancement requirements. 15. Rebate amount will not exceed total project costs. 16. This program is not retroactive. Rebates are only applicable to projects that occur after the Turf Buy Back is approved by the Desert Water Agency Board of Directors. Eligibility The following constitute eligibly requirements for participation in DWA s Turf Buy Back Program: 1. All applicants must complete the Turf Buy Back Program Application entirely. 2. All participants must be DWA customers within the DWA service boundaries. 3. All participants must be the property owner of the installation site. 4. DWA customers must be in good standing with the Agency. 5. Eligibility is subject to DWA approval based on pre-inspection and project preferences; rebate is subject to post-inspection.

4 Landscape Eligibility 1. Existing turf in the area must be living (or in the process of being killed off) and irrigated using an in-ground irrigation systems. 2. Property owner must replace existing high water turf grass with water wise landscaping (for samples see Lush and Efficient) 3. Tamarisk trees are prohibited in the conversion. 4. Converted areas must be permeable to air and water (non permeable hardscapes not included in project area) 5. Property owner must install a Smart irrigation controller. For information regarding DWA s controller program, please visit 6. The new area must be on a separate irrigation valve from existing remaining turf. 7. A low-flow irrigation system must be installed on the conversion area. Drip emitters must not exceed 20 gallons per hour. 8. A pressure regulator and filter are required to be installed to prevent damage to the low-volume irrigation system 9. The conversion area must have enough plants to ensure a minimum of 50% living plant cover. Each plant will be measured using full maturity square footage. 10. The landscape must be covered with mulch that is permeable to air and water. Some examples include rock, bark, ungrouted pavers, or synthetic turf. 11. Permeable weed barriers are required. Plastic weed barriers are prohibited. Appeal Process Should an applicant be denied eligibility in DWA s Turf Buy Back Program, an appeal may be made in writing within 10 days of the denial. The appeal will be reviewed by the PI/Conservation Sub-committee of the Board of Directors. A further appeal of the decision may go before the Board of Directors. Implementation Plan Prior to Implementation Prior to implementing the Turf Buy Back Program, DWA staff will create the following: 1. Application for residential program 2. Application for commercial program 3. Application for municipal program 4. List of commonly used plants and their maturity size 5. Contract documentation 6. Database for program management a. Applicant information entry b. Pre-inspection information entry c. Post-inspection information entry d. Report generating feature for bi-weekly Accounting Report 7. Site-survey forms for pre-inspection 8. Template notification of successful pre-inspection 9. Site-survey forms for post-inspection 10. Door hangers for customer notification

5 11. All outreach materials (described below) Program implementation process DWA staff will develop guidelines and an application for the Turf Buy Back Program. In order to participate in the program, the property owner must submit the completed application to DWA. Upon receipt of the application, DWA s Public Information Department will review the application to determine if the applicant complies with the eligibility criteria. If the applicant does not meet the criteria, the Public Information Department will notify the applicant. If the applicant does comply, the Public Information Department will enter the applicant s information into the Turf Buy Back Program Database. The Public Information Department will then notify the Engineering Department of the successfully processed application via the database. Upon receipt of a processed application, the Engineering Department will contact the applicant to notify them that they have been approved and set up a pre-inspection appointment. Staff from the Engineering Department will conduct the pre-inspection appointment. Pre-inspection appointments begin by visiting the site to confirm the address and DWA meter. Then the staff person will measure the turf area according to the property owners intention and photograph the area. Staff will document this information as well as the condition of the existing landscape according to DWA forms. The staff person will also review the terms and condition and process with the property owner. Following the visit, the staff member will enter the information into the Turf Buy Back Database. Following a successful pre-inspection visit, the Public Information Department will notify the property owner that they may proceed with their project. This notice will remind the property owner that they will be required to submit receipts for materials and labor involved in the project and that once the project is completed, they will be subject to a post-inspection. It will be the responsibility of the property owner to notify DWA that their project is complete and ready for post inspection. Property owners will have up to 120 days from their pre-inspection date to notify DWA of their completed project. Extensions may be granted if significant effort is being made to complete the project. The Engineering Department will schedule a post-inspection visit. Again the staff member will visit the site and ensure that the property owner has completed the work in accordance with their application. The staff member will measure the area to determine the amount of turf removed as well as take a plant inventory to confirm the new planting meet the program requirements. Following the site inspection, the staff member will enter the completion information into the database and inform the Public Information Department. On a bi-weekly basis, the Public Information Department will generate a report from the database of successfully completed Turf Buy Back Project. The report will be reviewed by the Public Information Officer for approval. Upon approval, the report will be transmitted to the Accounting Department. The Accounting Department will issue checks to the property owners. Checks will be mailed to the billing address of the property owner. DWA staff may conduct drive-by inspections as needed. If there is concern that the terms of the program have been violated, DWA may schedule another visit with the property owner to gain additional information.

6 Potential alternative: In order to reduce staff time for the program, the field work conducted by the Engineering Department could be contracted out. Grant Implementation DWA, as part of the Coachella Valley Regional Water Management Group, has applied for Proposition 84 funding to support a regional Turf Buy Back Program. Should that funding be awarded, DWA staff will also be responsible for grant administration. This involves tracking budgets, developing and administering a Memorandum of Understanding with the other water agencies, preparing invoices, preparing quarterly reports, and coordinating final reports as required by the Department of Water Resources. Landscape conversion labor is not a reimbursable item under Proposition 84; therefore staff will have to ensure that only materials are included in invoices and billing. These tasks will be completed by the Public Information Officer and the Accounting Department. Contract DWA will require that customers sign a contract stating they will keep their desert friendly landscape or pay their rebate back in full. Property owners may make changes to their landscape (such as replacing or moving plants, changing mulch materials, or even undertaking a complete redesign), provided they do not install irrigated lawn or grass, spray irrigation systems, ponds or other bodies of water or water features in any portion of the converted area. The contracts are required to assure the water savings from the project will be sustained in perpetuity, producing a permanent community benefit. If a contract is violated, DWA may seek a return of the rebate through legal avenues. Outreach Plan DWA s Public Information Department will be responsible for all outreach regarding the Turf Buy Back Program. The foundation for outreach will be a microsite (mini web site) that details the program, provides easily accessible information, and holds all of the necessary forms for property owners. The microsite will also include design ideas, how-to assistance, and Frequently Asked Questions. In addition, the kick-off the program will involve a Turf Buy Back Program specific outreach campaign that will utilize social media, direct mail, newsletter articles, press releases and other tools. DWA has a growing list of customer addresses which will be utilized to share information regarding the program. DWA s current outreach campaign has a component titled Ditch Your Grass which can be enhanced and used in paid and earned advertising campaigns. The Public Information Department will attempt to secure speaking engagements with community groups, Homeowners Associations, and other organized groups. Measurement and Reporting Measuring and reporting on the program will be part of the role of DWA s Engineering Department. Utilizing the database, the Engineering department will generate reports at the request of the Accounting Department, Public Information Department, Management or Board of Directors. Information that may be provided will include, but not be limited to, amount of water saved, number of participants, amount of turf removed, amount of funding spent, or geographic locations of program participants.

7 Overlap with Other Programs DWA s program will not be exclusive of any other Turf Buy Back Program meaning customers who get rebates or incentives from programs, including but not limited to the City of Palm Springs s Turf Buy Back Program or The City of Cathedral City s Turf Buy Back Program, are still eligible for DWA s Program. CV Upgrade Program Customers may utilize the CV Upgrade program, administered through the Coachella Valley Association of Governments, in order to obtain loans for conservation projects. DWA s program will not be exclusive of PACE of any other loan program.