The Southern Nevada Water Authority offers Water Smart Landscapes rebates on residential properties, HOAs, Businesses, and multifamily properties to convert the water-thirty grass to desert landscaping as a response to the Colorado River drought problem. The residence can check the rebate process and terms & conditions below to get familiar with the rebate program.
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SNWA Rebate
Most of the water supplied through the Las Vegas Valley Groundwater basin or other eligible supplies is used for outdoor landscape watering. With the current drought conditions in the Colorado River system and the low water level of Lake Mead, the SNWA urges the community to apply for the Water Smart Landscapes rebates.
The Water Smart Landscapes rebates began in 1999 and it has been successful in upgrading the 232 million square feet of lawn to desert landscaping that saves plenty of water. The rebate program allows residents whether business owners, house owners, or house owners associations to apply for the rebate and remove their lawn grass with water-efficient landscaping.
The SNWA invites applications for the rebate program from eligible residents fulfilling the project size requirements and other conditions. The conversion of the lawn must be completed before the deadline, 31 December 2024 to receive the rebate amount.
SNWA Rebates Eligibility & Requirements
The residents can take advantage of the Water Smart Landscape rebate when they meet the following conditions of the category they are applying for:
For Residential Properties:
- The project size must be at least 400 square feet of lawn, however, the authority cna grant for smaller areas if the water surface exists in the project area.
- The properties that come under the project area, that is, areas that used water supply from the Authority water agency or groundwater well within the LVGB (Las Vegas Valley Groundwater basin), accounts should comply with all the rules & regulations.
- The area should be well-maintained, living, or should be permanently installed with an outdoor water surface.
For HOAs, businesses, and multi-family properties:
- All the above points of residential properties are applicable for this category of the program except, if the total project area exceeds the 10,890 square feet limit, the applicants need to get approval from the respected municipal planning authority to receive the permission to convert the outdoor water surface with water-efficient landscaping.
The rebate program also has a Tree Enhancement program, where the authority pays the new participants for every new tree plantation a bonus of $100 from the list of qualifying trees. It will increase the groundwater water level and save the environment.
SNWA Rebate Amount
The residents can receive the following rebate amount under the Water Smart Landscape rebate program:
For Residential properties:
- The single-family homeowners will receive $5 per square foot for water-thirsty grass removal and converting it into desert landscaping for up to the first 10000 square feet.
- The homeowners will receive $3.50 per square feet onwards for each property in each fiscal year (01 July to 30 June).
- The amount will be the same whether you hire a contractor or do it yourself to convert your property under the program.
- With the rebate payout, the program includes other benefits, such as lower water bills, less maintenance, and a reduction in water waste fees.
For Businesses, multi-family, and HOAs properties:
- The applicants will receive a rebate of $3 per square foot of grass removed for up to the first 10,000 square feet of area conversion and afterward $1.50 per square foot per property.
- From 01 Jan 2025, the rebate will change to $2 per square foot from $3 per square foot for non-functional grass conversions, however, for functional conversions, the rebate will remain the same.
- With the rebate, the applicants will save pest control costs, save water, and others that can save a lot of money in maintaining the surface.
How to apply for the SNWA Water Smart Landscapes rebate program?
The South Nevada residents can apply for the Water Smart Landscape Rebate program through the online application on the official website of SNWA rebates at https://www.snwa.com/rebates/wsl/
However, the applicants applying for the HOAs, businesses, and multi-family properties will need the following documents to apply for the rebate:
- An authorized signer agreement is given on the website, signed by the property owner who has given the authority to convert the water surface.
- A project plan for the water surface conversion is drawn on a map in the application.
What next after you apply for the SNWA rebate?
Here are the full steps that applicants should follow after the SNWA rebate application submission:
- The SNWA representative will contact you within two weeks of your application for the rebate fixing the schedule for the pre-eligibility conversion inspection to ensure your property meets the eligibility requirements of the program, such as active irrigation system and live grass, etc.
- After the pre-inspection approval, you will have 12 months to convert your area into a water-effective landscape, for now, you have until 31 Dec 2024. The authority advises the applicants not to convert the site before the pre-conversion site visit from the appointed officer.
- The applicants should notify the SNWA after they complete the conversion, the authority will inspect the converted property within 10 days of reporting.
- After the post-conversion site inspection, a conversion easement will be signed with Clark County that ensures your converting areas meet the requirements and you commit to maintaining the water-effective landscaping practices, the easement also ensures your payment.
- After the easement of the post-converted site, your rebate check will be processed and mailed to you within 10 days of the easement recording.
The Water Smart Landscape rebate program is an effective solution implemented by the South Nevada Water Authority to save water and encourage people to contribute to conserving water and using the water efficiently.