Lawn Conversions Reach Milestone

The Long Beach Water Department reached a new milestone, as the city has five hundred homeowners that have now completed Lawn-to-Garden projects, in which grass lawns are replaced with drought tolerant, native, nature-friendly landscapes. This peak -- which comprises of almost 11 acres (500,000 square feet) of grass lawn removed within the city -- makes Long Beach's turf removal program the most successful in the state.

The program allows Long Beach, California residents to apply for rebates worth $2.50 per square foot of turf removed, with a set maximum of 1,000 square.

While the Long Beach Water Department provides the majority of the funding for the rebate program, 40 percent of the total funds are provided through a partnership with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD).

Annually, grass lawns require more than six times the amount of water as do drought tolerant landscapes, meaning that as additional Long Beach homes convert to drought tolerant landscapes, long-term water savings will also increase.

Current applicants and other interested customers can continue to read about the rebate program and California Friendly landscaping in general, by visiting www.lblawntogarden.com.