Austin's Rebate Bait for Ditching Thirsty Turf

Austin landowners with healthy turfgrass are eligible for rebates from the city's Water Utility for removing lawns with high watering requirements in favor of a xeriscape permeable hardscapes.

Water Utility customers in Austin, Texas could get up to $1,250 in rebates for converting their grass to water-wise landscaping.

The water utility wants customers to replace thirsty turfgrass with native plant beds and permeable hardscapes that requires less water. Austin Water says some residents have gardens and yards with plants that are not the best for the area.

"Some of the St. Augustine [turfgrass] and other types of plants look pretty, but they may not be successful in the kind of heat and especially the kind of drought that we've been experiencing. So we work with customers to help them choose better plants, better landscapes that are water-wise," Austin Water Utility spokesperson Jill Mayfield told Austin's KUT News.

Residential properties can receive $25 for every 100 square feet converted from healthy turfgrass to native plant bed and permeable hardscape. The application deadline has been extended to Oct 19 for fall installations. Only the first 100 eligible applicants will be allowed to participate in the program per application acceptance period.

Participants may enter the program more than once if they have another eligible area of turf that can be converted to a WaterWise landscape. Only one application per acceptance period will be accepted. Click here for more information on eligibility.