Thanks to the commitment of Santa Rosa’s community to save water, residents and businesses in the city have transformed over 4 million square feet of grass into beautiful, water-saving landscapes. Since 2007, Santa Rosa Water has partnered with the community to replace their grass with low water-use plants and install efficient irrigation systems, like drip irrigation, through the Cash for Grass rebate program and technical support.  

More than 3,800 Santa Rosa Water customers have participated in the Cash for Grass rebate program managed by Santa Rosa’s Water-Use Efficiency Team. To achieve this significant milestone, the team assisted customers with replacing more than 1.3 million square feet of commercial and 2.7 million square feet of residential grass. These water-saving landscape transformations are estimated to save the community 1 billion gallons of water over the lifetime of the projects. 

A recent program participant stated, “I have been very happy with my project...my water bill is significantly less. My yard is also more useable for social events.” Another customer wrote, “Everyone is raving about the excellent job we did and how gorgeous it ended up being. I’m so very proud.” 

For a limited time, eligible Santa Rosa Water customers can earn $1.50 per square foot of grass removed. Residential customers may remove up to 1,000 square feet for a maximum rebate of $1,500 and an estimated water savings of 5,500 gallons of water each year. For businesses, customers may remove up to 10,000 square feet for a maximum rebate of $15,000 annually. Visit SRCity.org/Rebates to learn more. 

Achieving water savings outdoors makes the biggest impact as nearly 50% of summertime water demand is used for irrigation purposes. To help the community improve water-use efficiency outdoors, Santa Rosa Water also offers free watering recommendations, WaterSmart Garden design tools, resources for understanding your irrigation system, and tips for maintaining your garden. Visit SRCity.org/WaterSmartYard to learn more. 

“Santa Rosa Water is very proud of its long-standing commitment to providing our customers with the tools they need to eliminate water waste and use water efficiently,” said Jennifer Burke, Director of Santa Rosa Water.  

Since 1990, Santa Rosa Water has invested over $21 million into WaterSmart programs. The result is 2.3 billion gallons of sustained reductions in water use, which is a 14% reduction in total water demand, despite a 53% population increase.  

Visit SRCity.org/WaterSmart to learn more about Santa Rosa’s WaterSmart programs, including free water-saving devices, tips, rebates, and more.