Evaluating California's 'Cash-for-Lawns' Rebate

At the height of the California drought, a group of water suppliers offered rebates for people willing to remove lawns. Now, it's time to figure out if the experiment worked.

1 minute read

November 10, 2016, 1:00 PM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


House

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Ellen Knickmeyer checks-in on a big expenditure in the state of California to remove lawns—call it a "cash-for-lawns" program.

After spending more than $350 million to remove lawns, the funds ran out in 2015, but now researchers are exploring whether the rebates worked. Using advanced tools like satellite images and infrared aerial photos, along with more old-fashioned tactics like driving through neighborhoods, the researchers are trying to calculate whether the cash-for-lawns had a lasting effect on the California landscape.

The program was initiated and funded by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, along with more than two dozen other participants, at the city, county, and water district levels. A measure of concern drives the current research: the political fallout from the program, if it was unsuccessful, could damage future drought resilience efforts.

Monday, October 31, 2016 in AP via San Jose Mercury News

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

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