The days of huge stripes of public and commercial Céspedes appear of native drugots and/or Torneros plants of Drothothotys.
The offer, which entered into force on September 1, is the largest reimbursement ever offered by the agency and more than double the reimbursement of $ 3 per square that previously offered commercial and public customers, thanks to a subsidy of $ 30 million from the Department of Water Resources of California and $ 96 million of the Casina System of the Federal Colorado Scholarship of Colorado.
Residential Céspedes refunds are still $ 3 per square foot, said Krista Guerrero, a specialist in Senior Resources for the District of Water that manages the agency's grass replacement program and specializes in outdoor water efficiency.
Essentially, Guerrero said, the Metropolitan District of Water is trying to prepare some of the largest users of the State's water for a new state law, AB 1572, which enters into force on January 1, 2027, prohibiting public entities, including schools and municipalities, using drinking water, drinkable, for irrements of non -financial law. The same requirements will enter into force for business owners in 2028 and HOA and other properties of common interest from 2029.
The functional lawn is defined as the lawn used for recreational and community meetings, including areas where children and pets can run and play, such as external homes or in school courtyards.
Irrigation systems that send air in the air will not be allowed under the rules for the new grass elimination reimbursements of $ 7 per square.
(Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)
“But walking on a grass to get to the entrance of a building is not considered functional,” said Guerrero. “Having herb around a parking lot is not considered functional. If it is only stopped on it to cut it, that generally means that it is not functional.”
The agency believes that commercial and public entities control around 20,000 acres of non -functional Céspedes in southern California, Guerrero said, which could be a lot of ugly brown terrain in a few years if everyone stops watering that grass.
“The bill only requires that they stop irrigating [nonfunctional lawns]So we hope to motivate them to beautify their property instead of extinguishing their irrigation, “said Guerrero.” We are not just looking at water saving. We are also focusing on biodiversity and environmental benefits. “
For example, to be eligible for refund, applicants need an approved plan to retain rainwater, such as installing bioswales or dried stream beds that collect and store rainwater in the ground instead of allowing them to run into the street. The new landscape must also include at least three water efficiency plants per 100 square feet, Guerrero said: “That depending on the plants they chose will cover 50% to 70% of the project area to total maturity.”
A mound of grass among the sidewalks on a small shopping center in Pasadena could be a candidate for the new reimbursement of the Metropolitan Water District of $ 7 per square foot for non -functional grass.
(Jeanette Marantos / Los Angeles Times)
The new landscape does not require an irrigation system, but if a new one is installed, it cannot involve aerial sprinklers, and the project area cannot include hard landscapes unless they are permeable, which means that water can soak up on the ground.
The agency's website includes a long list of acceptable plants that, unlike many of these sites, begins with a long list of shrubs, pastures and roofs of California land that Guerrero compiled. The agency is working with the Theodore Payne Foundation to expand its efficient landscape certification program to include training contractors on how to properly maintain a landscape of native plants, he said.
“We are very interested in providing design options for people who want flowers, colors, fragrances and ways to support pollinators, or people who want grass alternatives such as Kurapia and Dymondia,” he said.
“We want a diverse list,” he said, “because we want to maximize as many benefits as possible. [with these new landscapes] – Water savings, habitats creation, improvement of air quality and cooling. It is the opportunity to increase the environmental benefits of their property while showing its clients that are part of the solution. “
