With the deadline to get rid of nonfunctional turf quickly approaching, there’s no better time than right now for businesses, HOAs and multifamily properties to upgrade their useless thirsty grass to water-smart landscaping.
Cash incentives for grass replacement could dry up before a Nevada law requiring the removal of nonfunctional turf across the Las Vegas Valley goes into effect, so businesses hoping to tap into those savings are encouraged to convert their grass sooner rather than later. Doing so will not only save you money in the end, but also help Sothern Nevada reduce its Colorado River consumption and protect our community’s water supplies.
A law passed by the Nevada Legislature in 2021 prohibits the use of Colorado River water for irrigating nonfunctional turf — the decorative grass found along roadways and medians, in front of and around businesses and some of the grass managed by homeowner associations — starting Jan. 1, 2027.
Businesses are eligible for a cash rebate of $3 per square foot through the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s (SNWA) Water Smart Landscapes rebate program. The program provides $3 per square foot for the first 10,000 square feet of converted turf, and $1.50 per square foot thereafter. The amount of water saved is substantial—upgrading 15,000 square feet of grass to drip-irrigated trees and plants saves more than 825,000 gallons of water per year.
Businesses are encouraged to act while funding is available. Increased demand for the program may drive up costs for plant materials and landscape installation services as the deadline to comply with the law nears.
For the biggest city in the nation’s driest state, every drop we save matters. Turf irrigation is the top consumer of water in Southern Nevada, where 99 percent of indoor water use is treated and returned to Lake Mead, safely and sustainably extending our community’s Colorado River water resources.
Valley residents and businesses have helped Southern Nevada conserve billions of gallons of water each year through turf conversion projects, but there’s still plenty of grass that needs upgrading before the law goes into effect.
To maintain aesthetics and plant diversity, the converted areas must include at least 50 percent living plant cover at maturity to qualify for the rebate. Reaching that benchmark is even easier these days thanks to an additional SNWA rebate aimed at bolstering the valley’s climate-stressed tree canopy.
As part of the SNWA’s Water Smart Landscape Rebate program, residents and businesses can receive $100 for every new tree planted during a grass conversion project. The SNWA approved $10 million in funding for the tree rebate program to support the planting of up to 100,000 new trees across the valley.
Many of the trees that currently make up the Las Vegas tree canopy, especially in older neighborhoods around the valley, are nearing their maximum heat tolerance due to increasing temperatures caused by urbanization and climate change. Las Vegas ranks as the second fastest warming city in the country, and July set a record for heat in the valley with an average temperature of 97.3 — more than a full degree above the previous record set in 2010, and climate scientists predict that Southern Nevada will see more than 100 days per year where temperatures rise above 100 degrees by 2050.
Increasing the valley’s tree canopy helps offset some of the urban heat island effect by reducing sun exposure to surfaces that trap heat, such as asphalt, sidewalks, block walls and hardscapes, thereby lowering temperatures and improving the valley’s resilience to extreme heat.
HOA and business properties participating in the WSL rebate program will automatically be considered for the tree incentives when enrolled in the program. The Southern Nevada Regional Plant List offers a variety of trees that thrive in our desert climate and are eligible for the rebate (some restrictions apply).
For more information about the Water Smart Landscapes and Tree Enhancement Program rebates, including the list of qualifying trees and program conditions, visit snwa.com.
