Lose Lawn, Gain Money
Cities in the Southwest are drying up. With less water to go around, water-intensive plantings like vast lawns are becoming an environmental faux pas. Now some cities are compensating residents for getting rid of them.
This piece looks at one grass-removal program in drought-choked Las Vegas, Nevada.
"If you've currently got a grass lawn in the Las Vegas area, the Southern Nevada Water Authority will pay homeowners and business owners alike $1.50 per square foot of lawn replaced with desert-friendly plants. That rate is good for the first 5,000 square feet, up to $7,500 in rebates; beyond that, the SNWA will pay $1 per square foot for the next 195,000 square feet of lawn ripped out, for a maximum of $300,000 per year in rebates."
Published on Monday, July 20, 2009 in
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