All four Victor Valley county cities have adopted such ordinances. Victorville was the first city to adopt the measures in 2005, allowing no turf in front yards of new homes. Hesperia adopted landscaping rules in April which allow up to 20 percent of front yards in new homes to be grass.

This program models Las Vegas, where residents who remove turf can be reimbursed up to $2 per square foot, said Michael Stevens, a spokesman for the Mojave Water Agency.

The Victor Valley Water District already pays 40 cents per square foot people who alert officials of their re-landscaping. MWA has sent letters to the district and 35 other purveyors from Barstow to the Morongo Valley inviting them to participate in a $0.50 per square foot reimbursement program. The amounts would be capped at $3,000 to private residences and up to $10,000 for commercial and industrial customers under the turf buyback program.

Several counties are bound to follow suit, as the Alliance for Water Awareness and Conservation, which developed the prototype for the city ordinances, is pushing for a similar one in San Bernadino County.

However, many homeowners are opting for the artificial grass for other beneficial reasons, the biggest reason being the fraction of time needed on maintenance and watering. Homeowners will also save significantly as water prices continue to rise. Mark Austin of Apple Valley said that one reason he is installing artifical turf is because his water bills got up to $300 per month in the summer. It is estimated that in the high desert, up to 2/3 of home water bills goes to irrigation. ?EUR??,,????'?????<