This article first appeared in California Special Districts Magazine, March - April 2023 issue.
By Kristin Withrow, CSDA Communications Specialist
Water stewardship and California go hand-in-hand. Learn how these districts have leveraged state, federal and private partnerships to guide water culture in their arid region.
The Bureau of Reclamation kicked off 2023 with an announcement of $7 million in investment funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that has been distributed across 82 small-scale water efficiency projects in the western United States. The grants support local community projects, including measuring water flow, water delivery and canal efficiency. One component of the funding is the innovative WaterSMART program supporting the planning and implementation of investments to increase water supply through modernization of existing infrastructure and avoidance of potential water conflicts.
Two CSDA members were on the recipient list for funding from the program. Western Municipal Water District and Desert Water Agency each received $100,000 for projects they submitted to the grant program for consideration. While the projects vary in scope, both serve as models for the type of projects being carried out by special districts throughout the state to guide their customers in a culture shift toward the conservative use of water in California.
Western Municipal Water District: March Field Air Museum Landscape Project
“Western Water,” as the district refers to itself, is one of the largest public agencies in Riverside County providing water, wastewater (sewer), and recycled water services to nearly 1 million people, both wholesale and retail customers, across 527-square miles in western Riverside County.
They received the WaterSMART grant for an ambitious overhaul of the March Field Air Museum landscaping that will showcase the many water efficient landscape designs Western Water highlights in their Landscapes with Style guide. The popular guide includes seven designs of native and drought-tolerant landscape styles, from “Hummingbird” to “Flowery” and even a “Tasty” style, beautifully illustrated with “plant by numbers” layouts to help homeowners determine plant groupings for aesthetic appeal.
“Many people hear drought tolerant landscape and think lots of rock hardscape and a very brown look. Western’s goal is to showcase the variety of flowers and plants that can be used in drought-tolerant spaces,” said Customer Experience Manager @Michelle Adams, MPA, CCEP . “Our Landscapes with Style guide offers ways for home and business owners to bring personality and beauty to their landscape while still being conservative with their water usage.”
Western Water has a robust community education and outreach program to encourage customers to adopt water-efficient habits, including replacing thirsty landscapes with drought-tolerant plants. As a Western Water customer, March Field Air Museum contacted Western Water for support in a large-scale landscape upgrade. Western Water took the opportunity to partner with the museum to showcase its Landscapes with Style.
“This was an opportunity for Western Water to demonstrate regional leadership in the garden transformation space,” said General Manager @Craig Miller. “Partnering with the March Field Air Museum exemplifies what we can do as a region when we work alongside our non- profit and business communities to design a showcase where the public can come and see what water-wise landscaping can look like.”
The WaterSMART grant request was approved for $100,000, which will offset part of the project’s cost. The program is designed to cover up to 50% of the total project application cost, with a maximum grant allocation of $100,000, and is available for projects that are $250,000 or less. The March Field Air Museum project is still in the design phase, with the final step of board approval to come soon. Western Water and the March Field Air Museum hope to break ground on the project in the fall.
Desert Water Agency – Providing Support for Grass Removal since 2014
Desert Water Agency (DWA) was founded as a groundwater agency in the western Coachella Valley serving Palm Springs and Cathedral City in 1961 and is one of 29 state water contractors in California. The distinction allows them to import water to recharge the groundwater basin beneath the Sonoran Desert. They provide water and conservation resources to approximately 72,000 people at 23,000 domestic water connections.
DWA began emphasizing a grass replacement model for water conservation in 2014. Over the years the need to conserve water has been reinforced as ongoing drought positively influenced the adoption of non-lawn landscape designs by homeowners, homeowner associations and commercial property owners.
As funding allowed, they moved from an initial “front yard only” model to less restrictive rules that enable customers to use the incentive for any turf removal without square footage caps or visibility requirements. As the rebates have improved the number of homeowners expressing interest has grown.
“Even realtors are telling us that property values are better because it’s easier to sell homes with low maintenance landscapes,” said Desert Water Agency spokesperson @Ashley Metzger.
Partnering with the state and federal government for grant funding has allowed them to expand the program. In 2023, the city of Palm Springs has joined the effort in partnership that allowed Desert Water to double their offered incentive of $3 per square foot to $6 per square foot of turf replaced, and in some cases (for low-income customers) as much as $8 per square foot. This year, the agency has budgeted $3.65 million for the program which shows no sign of slowing down.
Both of these water providers, operating in arid inland Southern California recognize the critical importance of water conservation education for the residents in the area. Water providers is a broad term that can include water districts, irrigation districts and water agencies. While each has a slightly different directive, they all agree that water is a critical, finite resource that must be managed to provide equitable access with emphasis on water stewardship at every point to respect the limitations and challenges of populations living in low-water, high-heat, low precipitation environments.
For more information about the SWEP programs, visit the Bureau of Reclamation website at www.usbr.gov/watersmart.
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