Austin WaterWise: Rebates Transform Landscapes ($35/100 sq ft)
By EPA
TL;DR: Financial incentives and clear technical requirements are key to successful large-scale water-wise landscape conversions.
- Incentives drive widespread adoption of water-wise landscaping.
- Clear rules prevent unintended environmental consequences.
- Drip irrigation and mulch are crucial for water saving.
- Adaptive management improves program effectiveness.
- Converted 193M sq ft, saved 130B gallons water.
Why it matters: Water scarcity is a growing concern, and this case study provides a proven model for municipalities to conserve significant amounts of water through landscape transformation.
Do this next: Research local rebate programs for water-wise landscaping in your area and understand their specific requirements.
Recommended for: Urban planners, homeowners, and water conservation advocates interested in scalable, impactful strategies for reducing water use.
Austin Water's WaterWise Landscape Rebate Program demonstrates large-scale implementation of water-wise landscaping through financial incentives and clear technical requirements. The program offers $35 for every 100 square feet of turfgrass converted to water-wise landscape, with specific requirements ensuring genuine water conservation outcomes. To qualify, customers must originally have at least 75 percent healthy turfgrass, cap off automatic irrigation systems or convert to drip irrigation in the conversion area, and apply 2 to 3 inches of hardwood mulch. The program evolved based on implementation experience—initially, some homes without existing irrigation systems installed new systems after conversion, inadvertently increasing water use. To address this unintended consequence, the program added a requirement prohibiting new irrigation system installation in conversion areas. The program also removed landscape fabric and compost requirements, streamlining implementation while maintaining mulch as a core practice for moisture retention and heat island effect reduction. For landscapes requiring irrigation, the program mandates low-flow drip irrigation to minimize water waste. The program's measurable impact demonstrates the effectiveness of this approach: it has successfully converted 193 million square feet of grass and saved 130 billion gallons of water. This case study illustrates how incentive-based programs can drive landscape transformation at scale when combined with clear technical specifications, adaptive management based on real-world outcomes, and requirements that prevent unintended consequences. The Fort Collins campaign, "Give them an inch, grow a yard," pursued a complementary goal of achieving a two percent reduction in peak water use per year through similar landscape conversion strategies.