Pasadena’s Water Rebate Program, Temporarily Tapped Out, is Reinstated

Pasadena’s water rebate program, which ran dry last month, has received additional funding and is now back in business.

Officials said last week that the rebates, which are co-funded and administered by the Metropolitan Water District’s SoCal Water $mart program, were so popular the MWD ran out of money earlier this year.

Late last month, the MWD Board of Directors authorized an additional $350 million be added to the program’s budget, and the program was reinstated.

Phyllis E. Currie, General Manager of Pasadena Water and Power, said that the reinstated program is different than previous rebate schedule.

According to Currie, the popular turf removal program now offers residents $2 per square foot for up to 3,000 square feet of turf removed — up to $6,000 in rebates.

Commercial and other non-residential applicants are eligible for a turf removal incentive of $1 per square foot up to a total annual limit of $25,000 per property, Currie said.

The SoCal Water $mart program offers financial incentives in the form of rebates to home and business owners who choose to remove turf, install water efficient toilets, clothes washers and other appliances.

The state’s water troubles prompted Gov. Jerry Brown to issue an executive order that required a 25 percent reduction in water usage through February 28, 2016 and directing the California Department of Water Resources to launch a program to replace 50 million square feet of lawn and ornamental turf with drought-tolerant landscapes.

Since the Governor’s declaration, interest in the Water $mart program has increased, and as a result, requests for rebates have surpassed the available funding.

As of May 12, Pasadena customers of the Metropolitan Water District are encouraged to continue submitting applications for water rebates through the SoCal Water$mart program, but are warned that funding of those rebates is on a first-come, first served basis, based on availability of funding. Applications made prior to May 12 will be honored and are not affected by this first-come, first served policy.

More information is available on the Pasadena Water and Power web site at http://cityofpasadena.net/waterandpower/savewater/, and more information is available on the SoCal Water $mart program’s web site (http://socalwatersmart.com).