LOS ANGELES – LADWP customers interested in transforming their thirsty lawns to drought-tolerant landscaping have a free resource in the form of Hands-on Workshops (HOWs) offered by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) Turf Replacement Program. The free workshops teach customers how to remove turf, grade soil for capturing rainwater, and the step-by-step process to create sustainable landscapes in their own yard. These classes are designed to help empower customers to better manage their outdoor water use by creating water efficient and beautiful landscapes while taking advantage of LADWP’s turf removal rebate.
LADWP’s residential customers are also eligible to receive a $3 per square foot rebate for up to 5,000 square feet of turf removed, adding up to a potential $15,000 in rebates. LADWP’s HOWs help customers maximize the rebate by teaching them how to undertake the landscaping transformation work themselves. Transforming their properties by replacing turf with California Friendly® and native landscaping can help customers conserve water and lower their utility bills. In addition to the workshops, LADWP’s other free landscaping resources include a dedicated website, fact sheets, watering guides, planting templates and YouTube videos.
Before and after photos of turf replacement .
Interested LADWP customers may be eligible to host a HOW and be a trendsetter in their neighborhood. As a host, a participant’s front yard will serve as an outdoor classroom for neighbors and community members to learn about topics such as irrigation installation/conversion and drought tolerant plant planting. Hosts benefit from the free professional landscape design, free landscape materials and installation, free landscape maintenance workbooks, and bill savings on future water use.
“We are excited to bring these resources to our customers – they are reshaping the landscape of Los Angeles and it’s good for their bottom line given the water savings. The Turf Replacement Program is making it possible for customers to invest and transform their own yards and make water conservation a California way of life,” said Terrence McCarthy, LADWP’s Water Conservation Policy manager.
Customers have been very responsive to the program reducing daily water consumption by as much as 22% since 2014. In 2021, residential customers replaced 519,311 square feet of turf with sustainable landscapes through the program, saving an estimated 22.8 million gallons of water per year. The total amount of ongoing water savings from the turf replacement program offsets drinking water for about 280 Los Angeles homes every year.
LADWP customers can also receive free, professionally prepared landscape design services to replace their turf with water-saving, California Friendly® and native plants. The design can be submitted with their turf replacement rebate application.
For more information on attending or hosting a Hands On Workshop, visit www.lawnbegonedwp.com.
For more information on design services, visit www.designyourgarden.ladwp.com.
For rebate and incentive details visit www.ladwp.com/landscaping.
The next HOWs are scheduled for:
4/23 & 4/30 (West Hills)
5/14 & 5/21 (Leimert Park)